You're my best friend
by Lexie-Rae
Summary: Peyton and Haley find themselves in the hospital after a freak accident, but not all is as it seems. For one girl, her wildest dream has been realised, but the other girl is living a nightmare. AU Couples undecided.
1. A kind of magic

'Peyton?' A sweet voice called out, 'Peyton, sweetheart, can you hear me?'

Peyton frowned and opened her eyes, to a bright light.

She squeezed her eyes shut immediately, to shield them from the brilliant white light.

'Larry! She's okay, she's awake!' The woman said excitedly.

Peyton's eyes popped open at once, as a hundred questions popped into her head.

As her eyes grew accustomed to the light she realised that she was in the hospital.

Her Dad rose from his seat and took her heavily bandaged hand in his own, 'Hey Baby-Girl.'

'What happened?' Peyton asked as she looked to her Dad for answers.

Larry shook his head, smiling, 'You and Haley were messing about in her Dad's garage with some ancient appliance, and you gave yourselves a nasty electric shock.'

Peyton didn't say anything in response, she was too confused. She had no idea why her and Haley would be in Jimmy James' shed.

She wasn't even sure where Haley's parents lived, as far as she knew they were still travelling.

'Honey, you should get some rest,' the female spoke up again, 'Sweetheart, we're so glad that you're alright.'

Peyton turned to face the woman and when she did she did a double take.

'Are you okay, Sweetie?' The woman asked, reaching over and brushing Peyton's curls out of her face.

Peyton recoiled and pulled away from the woman sharply, tears building in her eyes.

'Baby, what's the matter?' Larry questioned, beginning to panic.

He didn't receive a verbal response; instead Peyton shook her head and tried to scramble out of bed.

'You need to stay in bed.' Larry ordered, 'It's okay, just calm down, we'll get a nurse.'

'Stay with her, Larry, I'll get the nurse.' The woman offered.

As she left the room, Peyton began to relax.

'Honey, you've had a traumatic experience, just calm down, you're okay now.' Larry tried to soothe his daughter.

Peyton was still shaking slightly, 'Is this some kind of joke?'

It frightened Larry to hear her voice tremble in fear, and to see tears cascade down her pale cheeks. 'You're safe here, you don't need to worry about anything.'

Peyton didn't reply, but she allowed her father to pull her into a one armed hug.

Her mind was racing at a million miles per hour, the only explanation was that she was being punk'd or she was dreaming. Before she could question her father, the tall blonde woman returned with a nurse in tow.

'It's good to see you awake, Peyton!' The nurse greeted as she entered the room, 'I hear you're a little bit distressed?'

'She's very upset.' Larry clarified.

'Okay, well that's understandable.' The nurse, Amanda said softly, 'Are you in any pain?'

Peyton shook her head, defiantly.

'Hmmm, perhaps you're worried about your friend Haley?' Amanda asked.

Peyton gasped, realising she hadn't asked about Haley. 'She's okay, right?'

Amanda gave a grim smile, 'Well she's not awake yet but she's going to be fine.'

'That's great news.' Larry confirmed.

Amanda smiled warmly, 'Peyton, what's the last thing that you remember?'

It was a moment before she replied, 'I was at Lucas and Lindsey's bachelor-bachelorette party, talking to Haley about her and Nathan, she's convinced she wants a divorce, but no one believes her, what about Jamie? He's only five, he doesn't want to see his parents split up-'

The room's three other occupants looked a little stunned.

Larry turned to Amanda, 'Is this normal? Could she have concussion?'

'Perhaps,' Amanda faltered, 'We didn't think that the head wound was that substantial but I'll get a doctor.'

Larry took Peyton's hand, and the blonde woman followed suit, grasping Peyton's other hand.

'Wh-What's going on?' Peyton stammered, shaking once more.

'Don't worry, Baby-Girl,' Larry soothed, 'we're here, you've got me and your Mom.'

At that last word, Peyton's assumption had been confirmed.

She'd woken up in hospital, after an accident that made no sense to her, and by her side stood her Mom.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Haley moaned softly as she roused from her deep sleep.

'Haley Bob! You scared us!' Lydia gushed.

'Mom? What's going on?' Haley groaned as she went to sit up.

Jimmy folded his arms, 'You, little lady, need to stay out of my tool shed, you and Peyton are too curious for your own good.'

Haley frowned, 'This is so weird, why was I in the tool shed?'

'Beats me, honey.' Jimmy laughed, 'I think you mentioned something about Jake's birthday.'

Haley looked at her father like he was a madman, 'Jake Jagelski?'

Jimmy and Lydia exchanged looks of confusion.

'How many other Jakes do we know?' Jimmy chuckled, 'Did you bang your head, Doll?'

Haley's eyes widened, 'I must have done.'

'We'll let you sleep, hon.' Lydia smiled, as she placed a kiss on Haley's forehead.

Lydia and Jimmy quietly exited the room before they expressed their concerns.

'I'm sure it's the medication or because she's tired.' Jimmy told his wife.

Lydia nodded in agreement, 'It's just so disconcerting, Jake and her are joined at the hip, how could she forget him?'

'She didn't forget him, she must have just been confused.' Jimmy assured her.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Only once Peyton had settled back into a comfortable slumber that her parents left the room.

They were both concerned even though the doctor had assured them that medically Peyton was in no danger and shouldn't suffer any lasting damage. He had suggested that the confusion was due to her drowsiness and perhaps a small bump on the head but was nothing to worry about.

Peyton had pretended to go to sleep when she grew weary of the tension and worry in the room. In reality her mind was too busy to rest and sleep.

When she was finally alone she took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. Nothing was making any sense, in fact the more Peyton found out about her surroundings the more bizarre things seemed. Besides the astounding fact that her mother seemed to be alive and well, Peyton had discovered her 16 year old reflection in the mirror and it appeared that Haley was her best friend.

Desperate to find out more, she began to rifle through her bedside cabinet. Inside she found clothes, toiletries and her mobile phone.

She grinned as she clutched to silver phone, it was the only thing in the room likely to tell her anything.

Flipping it open, she was surprised to see a photo of herself with Haley and Jake as her wallpaper. Jake. Her breath caught in her throat and her green eyes sparkled with excitement.

After reading through the very few messages that were in her inbox, Peyton discovered that she and Haley had arranged to meet to dig out a treasure from Jimmy's shed, the date read 2003. Other than that, Peyton discovered nothing substantial.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

When Haley re-awoke hours later, she was alone in her room. It took her a moment to remember her surroundings and the previous events of the day, when she did, she laughed it off as an odd dream.

Heaving herself up, she made her way to the bathroom. Still groggy from her sleep, she approached the sink first to splash her face with water. When she lifted her head to face her reflection, she screamed in surprise.

'Are you alright in there, dear?' A nurse called through the door.

Haley took a deep breath, 'I'm fine, sorry!'

In truth, she wasn't fine. She was shocked to be looking at her sixteen year old self.

'This is ridiculous!' She cursed herself. Never before had she not been able to find a reasonable explanation for a situation. Right now she was stumped.

When she returned to her room she met a familiar curly blonde.

'Peyton?' She ventured.

'Hey,' she smiled softly, 'how are you doing?'

Haley shrugged, 'I'm a bit confused actually.'

Peyton narrowed her eyes, 'Do you remember what happened?'

Haley bit her lip and shook her head.

Peyton slumped a little, 'That makes two of us.'

'What's the last thing you remember, Peyton?' Haley asked curiously.

'I don't remember anything about the accident, in fact I don't remember much at all.' Peyton told her friend.

'Me neither.' Haley admitted, 'Like, I didn't know we were best friends.'

Peyton's eyes widened, 'Ditto. I know we were friends, but things are really different in my head.'

'Peyton, will you tell me what you do remember, like your most recent memories?' Haley requested.

She hesitated momentarily, 'Okay, but bear in mind that I hit my head, I remember being at this party, and offering to kill Lindsey for you.'

'Lucas' Lindsey.' Haley whispered.

Both girls looked at each other in shock.

'Hales, what's the year?' Peyton asked.

'I thought, I mean,' Haley faltered, 'Okay, I was pretty sure it was 2008,'

Peyton sighed heavily, 'Me too! This is totally weird right? It's like we've been flung back in time or something!'

'I'm scared, Peyton.' Haley admitted.

Peyton frowned, not sharing her friends fear, 'Of what?'

'Well first, girly, you are scaring me, you don't seem bothered about this and you're bouncing off of the walls with happiness! What self respecting adult would want to go back to being sixteen?' Haley raged.

'Hales, I don't know how and I don't know why, but in this crazy warped universe, my Mom's alive! My Mom, Anna, she's here and she's older, the crash never happened, or something, I don't know, but she's alive!' Peyton gushed.

'Oh, Peyton.' Haley said in a hush whisper, unable to say anything else.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Two days later the girls met again at Peyton's house, their parents finally convinced that the pair were sane enough to be left to their own devices.

'Peyton!' Anna called up the stairs, 'Haley's here!'

Peyton beamed from ear to ear, anything that involved her mother caused her to smile madly. She jumped from her bed to meet her friend in the doorway.

'Man, I've been wanting to see you for days!' Peyton revealed.

'Same here! We have so much to talk about!' Haley said, as she entered the bedroom, 'Oh my gosh, Peyton!'

Peyton laughed aloud, she'd been expecting the reaction, hers had been similar when she'd returned from the hospital.

Haley stood in awe, taking in the décor. The room was light and fresh, painted a mint green colour and photos adorned the walls, along with Peyton's sketches. There was another notable difference, that Haley saw immediately, all of the art showed joyful, happy scenes, far from the designs she was used to Peyton producing.

'Peyton, this is, I don't know what to say!' Haley gushed.

Peyton's eyes glistened, 'Hales, my life is like a fairytale, just look at how happy everyone is in these pictures!'

Haley faltered for a second, 'By everyone, I assume you mean me, you, Jake, and our parents?'

Peyton shrugged, 'Okay so I haven't exactly worked out where everyone fits into this world, but so far so good, I like what I see!'

The girls flopped down on the bed, Haley was confused, whilst Peyton was too wrapped up in happiness to question what was happening.

'Listen, Girly, I know you're on cloud nine, but don't you miss our lives?' Haley asked.

The blonde's face twisted, showing how torn she was, 'Certain parts I miss like hell, like Brooke for instance, I don't think we're friends here.'

'I miss my boy.' Haley sighed, her voice breaking a little.

'Oh, Hales,' Peyton said, engulfing her friend in a hug.

'What are we going to do?' Haley sobbed.

Peyton glanced at a framed photograph on her bedside cabinet, 'We're going to go and see Jake, get the low down.'

Haley wiped her eyes, 'That's a good idea.'

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

When Jake opened the door, Peyton felt a shiver go through her, even though she'd run from him into the arms of Lucas, they'd shared something unique.

'Hey, guys!' He said warmly, 'Can I trust you not to set fire to anything or flood the place?'

'Ha ha, so we had a little dealing with some electronics,' Haley laughed, as she entered the house.

Peyton followed sheepishly, locking eyes with the gentle giant as she passed.

'Jenny's asleep upstairs,' Jake explained as they all sat down, 'Did you want a drink?'

Both girls declined, desperate for some answered.

'Okay, promise not to freak out?' Haley asked.

Jake shrugged, 'That's your job, Hales.'

'We're struggling to remember some stuff, since the accident.' Haley explained.

'What, both of you?' Jake questioned.

The girls only nodded.

'Pretty strange, but okay.' He complied.

Haley glanced to Peyton before pressing on, 'I've been wondering, what made us friends? Like why just us three, why don't we mix with the guys from the river court, or the jocks?'

'Are you guys alright?' Jake asked, clearly disturbed.

'Could you just tell us?' Peyton pleaded.

'Sure,' Jake agreed, sending a smile to Jake, 'Okay, so we are all friends because Goldilocks over here felt sorry for us, I think.'

The girls both frowned.

'Okay, so you and me,' Jake pointed to himself and Haley in turn, 'We pretty much kept ourselves to ourselves, we mixed with some kids, like you were pretty close to Lucas Scott, but we never had best friends. Peyt, you were different, you've always had loads of friends, for a while you were best friends with Brooke Davis-'

'What happened?' Peyton demanded.

'You drifted, I guess, she changed, growing up made her chase boys and worry about how she looked, you weren't so worried about those things.' Jake explained.

Peyton nodded, taking it all in, a little annoyed with herself for throwing away such a good friendship.

'What about me and Lucas?' Haley enquired.

Jake hung his head, 'I don't know if you want to hear this, really, are you sure you don't remember?'

Haley shook her head, 'No. Come on, Jake, you have to tell me.'

'We must have been about nine years old at the time, I'm not quite sure, but Lucas lost his uncle, they were really close. He just pushed everyone away and started to act out.' Jake told the girls.

'Lucas? Is he okay?' Haley gushed, 'What's he like now?'

'You guys are freaking me out.' Jake admitted, 'Have you got amnesia or something?'

'Unofficially, maybe.' Peyton muttered, 'How did Keith die?'

'You remember Keith then?' Jake said sounding slightly happier, 'He ran a red light, he was running late to pick up Lucas, I think he blamed himself.'

Peyton visibly paled and Haley sat open mouthed.

'And Lucas now, well he got his act together, he's still got a temper mind.' Jake the shocked pair.

The confessions were interrupted by a wail from Jenny and Jake excused himself to comfort her.

'Poor Luke, I can't believe I abandoned him. I hope he's still friends with all of the river court guys. I wonder if Nathan's life is the same, oh God, I wonder who he's dating?' Haley gushed.

The brunette turned to her friend for a response to see that her eyes were shining with tears.

'Peyton, what's wrong?' Haley asked.

'Don't you see?' Peyton questioned, 'Keith took my Mom's place, because she didn't die, Keith did.'

'Are you sure that it's not just a coincidence?' Haley said softly.

Peyton shook her head, 'Come on, Hales, it's exactly the same, someone had to go.'

'So you think that the only thing that's changed is Keith and your Mom have swapped places?' Haley questioned.

'What about all of the other stuff?' Peyton frowned.

'You heard what Jake said, everything he told us directly resulted from Lucas losing Keith or you not losing your Mom.' Haley rambled.

Peyton frowned, 'You've lost me.'

'Okay, so me and Lucas aren't best friends, that's because he pushed me away after Keith's death.' Haley began, 'You and Brooke aren't close because you didn't need her to perk you up, and therefore you didn't cling to each other. Instead you found your own friends in me and Jake and I think you chose us.'

'I chose you?' Peyton repeated.

'Well, I'm guessing that due to circumstances, you have a pretty sunny outlook on life and you saw two lonely people in Jake and I, so you took pity on us and took us on as best friends.' Haley concluded.

'I can't believe you just worked all of that out.' Peyton groaned her head spinning.

Haley shrugged, 'They don't call me tutor girl for nothing.'

'Man, my head hurts.' The blonde sighed.

'Do you have a headache?' Jake questioned as he descended the stairs, a dopey Jenny in his arms.

'Yeah, but they said I might get them from time to time.' She said waving a hand to dismiss the issue.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Peyton and Haley had headed home after Peyton began to feel ill, much to the disappointment of Jake, who missed his friends. Haley too was a little frustrated as she was desperate for more information from Jake.

Haley walked Peyton right to her door, slightly worried by Peyton's sudden switch from perky to quiet and sullen.

Anna Sawyer appeared at the door before either girl could knock, 'Peyton, are you okay?'

'Yeah, really, it's just a headache, like the doctors said I'd have.' Peyton tried to dismiss the issue.

Anna pursed her lips, 'I think you should get to bed, sweets.'

Haley could see in Peyton's eyes just how much she loved any interaction she had with her mother, even if she was telling her to go to bed.

'Yeah, I'm pretty tired.' Peyton yawned as she headed towards the stairs.

Both Anna and Haley watched as the curly blonde disappeared to the upper floor.

Anna turned to her daughter's friend, 'I'm so worried about her, she's not herself.'

'I think the accident just shook her up a little, she's looking at things a bit differently.' Haley tried to explain.

Anna nodded, 'You're probably right, you usually are, Haley. How have you been since the accident?'

Haley shrugged, 'I just want everything to go back to normal, I can't wait to get back to school.'

'Haley James, you are every mother's dream.' Anna smiled, 'Thank you for walking her back, do you want a ride home?'

The brunette smiled warmly at the woman she'd never had the chance to meet, 'No thanks, Mrs Sawyer, I think I'll enjoy the walk.'

'Okay, Haley, but how many times, call me Anna!' She called after the young girl.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

A few hours later, Anna went to check on her daughter, taking with her chicken noodle soup and cocoa.

'Hey, Sleeping Beauty,' Anna said softly as she nudged Peyton's shoulder.

'Hmmm?' Peyton murmured, still drowsy.

'I brought you soup, Angel.' Anna tried to rouse her daughter.

Peyton smiled before opening her eyes.

'There she is, are you feeling better now?' Anna asked as she perched herself on the bed.

'Much better.' Peyton assured her.

'Chicken noodle did always have that effect on you.' Anna mused, 'You know, when you were younger and home sick from school, I'd always keep you home an extra day so that I could enjoy the fact that I had a beautiful healthy kid. You always appreciate health better after you're ill.'

'I remember,' Peyton whispered, 'I haven't thought about those days in years.'

'Me neither, kiddo, but I can't wait for the next one, when you're all better.' Anna smiled. 'How about it, I keep you off an extra day, we can something together.'

'That sounds great.' Peyton beamed, her eyes shining.

'Let's just keep this between us though, the conversation I had earlier with Haley tells me she wouldn't agree.' Anna chuckled.

Peyton joined in with her mother's laughter, 'Yeah, that's Haley.'

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~


	2. I want it all

**A/N: just a little note to say that I own nothing!**

**I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who took the time to read the first chapter and an extra big thank you to those who left reviews I really appreciate your feedback! Also I'm open for any suggestions people may have, I have an idea where I want to take the story but I'm likely to change my mind : ) Alex **

A week later, Anna was finally ready to allow Peyton back to school, much to the delight of Haley, who'd attended two days already without her best friend.

Haley had tried to fall into her new life as seamlessly as possibly, only because she was at a loss as to what else to do. There were no clues to suggest why she and Peyton had awoken in the past, and she had no idea how to escape back to the world she knew and loved. The brunette only wished that Peyton shared her enthusiasm to return to their 'other' life.

Haley had tried to meet up with Peyton in the last couple of days, but the blonde had merrily informed her that she was spending a few days with her Mom, but would ride to school with her on Wednesday.

Haley was surprised when Peyton called round to her house a full hour before they had to leave for school that Wednesday morning.

'Peyton, it's so early!' Haley groaned as her friend bounded into the house.

'I brought breakfast!' Peyton tried to bargain with her, 'Waffles and bagels!'

Haley smirked, 'Okay, you're off the hook, I'm kind of glad you're early, actually.'

'Right?' Peyton exclaimed, 'We've got so much to catch up on!'

'Yeah, how was your day with your Mom?' Haley asked as she poured two glasses of orange juice.

Haley didn't have to ask whether she'd had a good time, Peyton was practically glowing, her eyes were bright and her smile never left her face.

'It was better than I ever imagined it could be!' Peyton grinned, 'We didn't do anything spectacular or anything, but it was amazing. We went for lunch and then to the beach, where we sat and sketched. It wasn't awkward or weird; it was just like a mother daughter relationship should be.'

'I'm glad you had a good time.' Haley said warmly.

'I did.' Peyton said, 'but how has school been? I've been dying to hear how everyone is!'

'I guess everything's how you'd expect it to be, it's just so strange, stepping into this time warp, I'd forgotten the way things were.' Haley paused, 'I saw them all, Lucas, Brooke, Nathan, the guys from the river court, it was surreal.'

'What were they like?' Peyton questioned.

Haley took a deep breath, 'Okay, well Nathan's the star player of the Ravens, cocky as hell and letting his feelings out by punching any poor soul who gets in his way.'

Peyton grinned, 'You're groaning, but that's the boy you fell in love with.'

'Did I mention he's the same old womanizing Nathan?' Haley raised her eyebrows.

'Hales, Nathan _was_ a womanizer but you changed him that man is hopelessly in love with you. I mean it when I say hopeless; he's like a lost puppy without you.' Peyton told her friend.

Haley gave a sad smile, 'Anyway, back to today's Nathan, he's dating Brooke.'

Peyton's eyes widened in surprise, before they creased into laughter lines, 'We so should have seen that one coming, dude! What's Brooke like?'

'Brooke's Brooke, she's crazy, boy obsessed, and fashion mad. She's captain of the squad, and is the first to hear all of the gossip.' Haley explained.

Peyton nodded, 'As I expected.'

'She's different, though.' Haley added, 'Like she's less grounded, I could see it in her eyes that she was hung-over both mornings and that she was really behind at school.'

Peyton hung her head, 'Do you think-?'

Haley nodded, 'She needs you to keep her stable, she's too crazy and easy to influence when left to her own devices.'

'Wow, okay, so what about Lucas?' Peyton asked lightly.

'Lucas, he's broody, head constantly in a book, basketball in hand.' Haley chuckled, 'He's darker somehow though, like he's carrying the world on his shoulders, like he needs a little fun.'

'I'd say it sounds like someone misses you.' Peyton grinned, passing Haley a bagel.

Haley only smiled sheepishly in return.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Haley and Peyton only got a chance to talk again at lunch, when they met Jake out on the quad.

'Hey, Peyt, glad you're back.' Jake smiled as he took his seat.

'Glad to be back.' Peyton returned the smile.

'So are you guys remembering things better now?' Jake asked as he took a bite of his sandwich.

The girls shook their heads, then simultaneously scrunched their noses in disgust at the sight of Jake's chewed up food.

'You repulse me, Dude.' Peyton laughed, throwing a napkin to him.

The trio were distracted from their conversation by the arrival of Brooke and Nathan onto the quad.

'I've had enough, Nathan!' Brooke raged as she stormed through the mass of tables, her heels clicking with every step.

'Oh, come on, Brooke!' Nathan called after her, 'We were both drunk!'

Brooke turned on her heel, to face her boyfriend, 'That is so not the point! Cheating is cheating! You're just humiliating me!'

Peyton felt a strange kind of déjà vu as she watched the scene unfold; she now knew how obvious her and Nathan's disaster of a relationship must have been to everyone around them.

'_I'm _humiliating _you_? That's rich!' Nathan scoffed, 'I don't even know where you are most of the time, instead I find out from others that you passed out at a bar after flirting all night!'

'Maybe I wouldn't have to flirt with other guys if you paid me any attention every once in a while!' Brooke shot back before stomping off towards the parking lot.

'Whatever, Brooke, we really are done!' Nathan raged before disappearing towards the gym.

Peyton's heart went out to Brooke, she hated to see her friend hurting, and knew exactly how Brooke was feeling, she wished they were friends so that she could go and comfort her .

Peyton sighed and looked to Haley, 'Please explain to me jus what you're smiling about.'

'Nothing!' Haley said rapidly, suddenly becoming engrossed in her lunch.

'If I didn't know better,' Peyton began, 'I'd say someone's happy Nathan's single!'

'I am not! He's a cheating, slimy man who doesn't deserve a girl.' Haley blushed.

Jake almost choked on his milkshake, 'Are you kidding me, Hales? Nathan Scott? Why on earth would you like someone like that?'

Haley pursed her lips, 'Who are we to judge? We know nothing about him.'

Jake and Peyton shared a look, amused by their friend's denial.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

After school Peyton had headed home, after Haley had assured her that she wanted to walk home. Haley knew that Peyton wouldn't need any convincing, she would be desperate to spend some more quality time with her Mom.

Haley had decided to try and find out more about Lucas, although she wouldn't admit it, it was mainly to keep her mind off of Nathan.

She smiled as she reached Karen's café; it had been like a second home to her, and Karen had been like a surrogate mother.

The bell chimed as she entered the room, she was greeted by the smell of freshly cooked bread, and the sounds of chatter and laughter. Haley scooted up to the counter and took a seat close to the register.

'I'll be with you in a second!' A voice called from out the back, instantly, Haley knew it belonged to Lucas.

'Sorry, love, my son's never been one for multi-tasking!' Karen chuckled as she approached the counter.

'Oh, that's okay.' Haley said, a little disappointed that Karen didn't know her.

'Haley, hey,' Lucas greeted her in a gloomy tone.

'Hi, you alright?' Haley asked pleasantly.

Lucas shrugged, 'I guess, are you ready to order?'

'Sure, I'll have a hot chocolate to take away.' Haley decided, suddenly downtrodden by Lucas' distance.

Lucas nodded and went to make Haley's drink.

Karen placed a tray on the counter, 'Sorry Haley, I didn't recognise you!'

Haley smiled warmly.

'How have you been? Lucas mentioned something about an accident?' Karen asked.

'Mom!' Lucas moaned, 'It just came up.' He said to Haley.

'It was nothing, just my usual clumsy self.' Haley dismissed it.

Karen nodded, 'Well, it's good to see you, Haley.'

With that she walked out the back, a twinkle in her eye as she looked back at the two teens.

'Sorry about that,' Lucas blushed, handing Haley her drink.

'It's fine, how much do I owe you?' She asked.

Lucas sighed, 'Don't worry about it, it's on me.'

'Thanks, Luke.' Haley grinned.

Lucas gave her a long stare, 'Do you know how long it's been since you called me Luke?'

Haley shook her head, unaware that their friendship was so damaged.

'I'd really like us to be friends again, Hales.' Lucas admitted, looking embarrassed.

Haley beamed, 'Me too, Luke.'

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

After her encounter with Lucas, Haley rushed round to Peyton's to share the good news.

Even though she'd visited the house a few times since the accident, it still took her breath away to see both Peyton's room and her mother; Anna.

When she entered the bedroom, she found Peyton sprawled on her bed sketching, with her i-pod on. Haley approached her friend quietly and watched her for a moment as she drew Brooke and Nathan's anguished faces as they fought on the quad.

'Hey.' Peyton said finally noticing her friend.

'Brooke looks so sad.' Haley noted as she took the page in her hands.

'She's broken.' Peyton corrected, 'I just need to work out how to fix her.'

Haley smiled sympathetically, 'I didn't really notice at the time, poor Brooke.'

'Your eyes are too trained to Nathan.' Peyton mocked.

'Ha ha, what can I say? Even though I caught him with that slut and I chucked him out, he's still my husband, I don't like seeing him with anyone else.' Haley explained.

'Of course you don't!' Peyton agreed, 'You love him Haley, you're just being stubborn.'

'Hey! I am not being stubborn, he deserves what he got!' Haley argued.

Peyton shook her head, 'I think that the Nanny's the one you need to blame, she couldn't wait to get her claws into him.'

'Well, I can't do anything about my marriage when I'm stuck here.' Haley moped, flopping down on Peyton's bed, 'How are we going to get out of here?'

Peyton's head turned sharply to meet her friend's big brown eyes.

'Peyt, come on, we're not supposed to be here, we have adult lives out there!' Haley spurted.

Peyton shook her head, 'No, Hales, you've got an adult life out there. What have I got to go back to?'

Haley's eyes softened, 'You have everything to go back to, you have great friends, you have your own record label, and you have Mia!'

The blonde turned away to survey her room, 'This is what I dreamed of, for years.'

'I know, trust me, I know, Peyton, and it breaks my heart to see how perfect all this could have been.' Haley said in a hushed tone.

'Or how it is.' Peyton raised her eyebrows, 'I mean, I'm living it! Why should I try and get out of here?'

'This isn't real though, this isn't our real lives!' Haley argued. 'We've been here for a week, this isn't real life, our real lives are the twenty-two years we lived every moment of.'

Peyton's eyes began to fill up, 'I guess you're right, it's just that I want this so much!'

The blonde wilted and slumped down next to Haley, and allowed her to engulf her into a hug.

'We'll work it out.' Haley promised, 'I mean there must be a reason for all this.'

Peyton nodded and dabbed her eyes dry with her sleeves, 'This is so messed up, huh? You must think I'm mad for acting like this.'

'No, I would never think that.' Haley said defiantly, 'It just sucks that we both want different things.'

'So what's the plan for getting back to "reality"?' Peyton asked performing air quotes as she said reality.

Haley cringed, 'I have absolutely no idea. Although I'm guessing it involves some action on our part.'

Peyton only nodded in reply.

'I think I've put the wheels in motion.' Haley revealed, 'After school I stopped by Karen's café.'

'Oh! I totally forgot that it'd be here!' Peyton's eyes widened.

'Well, it was bittersweet. It's pretty clear that we used to be close because Karen asked how I was but Lucas was really distant. Then I called him Luke and he just changed, like he'd been waiting for me to be his friend again.' Haley explained. 'I don't know exactly what happened between the pair of us, but I think he was just waiting for me to forgive him.'

'That's awesome, Hales!' Peyton exclaimed, 'So you think that's what we have to do here? Right all of the wrongs?'

Haley shrugged, 'I don't know but it's not a bad idea, trying to make everything better for everyone.'

'I'm with you there; I hope I can do the same with Brooke as you did with Lucas.' Peyton sighed.

'Me too, Buddy.' Haley smiled, pulling her friend down so that they were both lying on the bed.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Although the girls had formulated a rough plan, neither really knew the best way to execute it.

Haley had decided to spend some time with Lucas, to try and rebuild their friendship and return him to the Lucas she knew and loved, who was passionate and loving, rather than closed off and a little cold.

As her best friend was occupied for the afternoon, Peyton had offered to look after Jenny whilst Jake went to practise. She'd planned to take Jenny to the park but it had started to poor with rain during last period, so instead, she took the opportunity to hang out in the gym. This not only meant that she could be close to Jake, but also Nathan, and of course, Brooke.

'Look at your sweaty Daddy, Jenny,' Peyton cooed, 'Doesn't he look funny?'

Jenny gurgled happily, so Peyton took this to be agreement.

Peyton's eyes strayed from the boys towards the cheerleading squad who were occupying the far end of the gym. Brooke stood centre stage, as she desperately tried to keep her girls in order.

Even though she was out of earshot, Peyton knew that the squad were all whispering about Brooke and Nathan's break-up, after all, they were the school's hot couple.

Brooke threw her pom-poms to the ground in exasperation, 'Take five, everybody, get it together, the classic is next week!'

The girls happily skipped over to the bleachers close to Peyton, to ensure that they had a good view of the boys training.

Peyton excused herself, making an excuse about Jenny wanting some air, and headed over to the open doors that Brooke had just left through.

The brunette turned as she heard someone join her outside, she didn't hide the surprise from her face when she saw who it was. 'Isn't it a little cold out here for a baby?'

'She'll be okay, I've got her dressed like an Eskimo, Jake's a bit obsessive like that.' Peyton replied.

Brooke surveyed Jenny and Peyton for a moment.

'It seems like yesterday that we were playing dolls together, huh?' Peyton ventured, desperate to reach out to her friend.

Brooke shrugged, 'Actually, it feels like a million years ago for me.'

'I guess a lot has happened since then.' Peyton sighed.

'Are you just here to send me pity looks like the rest of those bitches in there?' Brooke snapped.

'No, you just looked lonely; I know how horrible that can feel.' Peyton told her, offering a small smile at the same time.

Once again Brooke studied the blonde who was formerly her best friend. 'It was so much easier when we were kids, all we cared about playing dress-up.'

'I seem to remember that all we wanted to do was grow up.' Peyton chuckled.

Brooke smiled sadly, 'Yeah, well we got out wish. Now I'm stuck in this nightmare, I just wish that they'd listen to me, the classic is so important to me!'

'Just give it a day, I'm sure something else that's none of their business will crop up and excite them, soon they'll forget all about this.' Peyton said wisely.

Brooke nodded, 'You always did know how to cheer me up.'

Peyton grinned widely, 'Glad I could help.'

'Well, I better get back to teaching my stupid squad the routine.' Brooke sighed, before turning on her heel and re-entering her nightmare.

Jenny babbled away happily in her unintelligible baby talk causing Peyton to smile.

'You know who that was, Jenny?' Peyton asked rhetorically, 'Her name's Brooke Davis, and she's my best friend in the whole world.'

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~


	3. Breakthru

**Thank you again to everyone who read and of course to those who reviewed it really is appreciated. Hope you enjoy, Lexie : )**

'_Hey, , it's me.'_

'_It was quite a stunt you guys pulled, I'll give you that.'_

'_Listen, you and Haley, you're my two closest friends; actually, you're family to me. I need you guys.'_

'_Peyton, you need to get your skinny butt out of bed right now.'_

'_I brought you some of your angsty loser rock, you know, just to depress me further.'_

'_Hey, Fake-Blondie, you know as soon as you get out of here we need to get you to the salon, because FYI; your roots need doing, and I mean like desperately.'_

'_Okay, so I've tried being emotional, I tried pleading, and I tried to be funny and that isn't getting you to wake up, and I'm going to save chucking water over you for later. That only leaves one option really, memory lane…oh boy…here we go.'_

Peyton awoke suddenly, panting heavily. She put a hand to her pounding head and felt sweat beads reach her palms.

It was the second time in a week that she'd awoken in a panic from a dream that seemed too real for comfort. Both times she'd been alone in a white walled room, dressed in a simple white cotton dress. The room held no possessions; there was no furniture and it had no windows and no doors. It was her personal prison. During each visit, Peyton had sat on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest as she listened to the raspy pleas of a desperate Brooke.

Each time she had the dream, Peyton had experienced a painful headache. She was afraid to make the connection between the pain and her white-washed prison.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

The girls had agreed that action needed to be taken to sort out the mess that was the strange alternate realm they found themselves in. To put this plan into action, Haley decided to do what she did best, research through books and online.

In all of her life Haley had never encountered anything that couldn't be justified with a reasonable explanation. As a child, she annoyed her parents no end with questions of 'why?' and 'how?' never satisfied with just enjoying the mystery of something. At her sixth birthday party she had demanded to know how the magician performed his tricks, even though it ruined the enchantment. That didn't matter to Haley though, knowledge is power after all, believing in the supernatural and being taken in by the unexplained only made you gullible in her opinion.

She settled herself in the library and began to scan the shelves of a section she'd never visited. There were books about ghosts, dragons, myths, witchcraft, all sorts, what Haley struggled to find was alternate universe and time travel themed volumes.

Her online search wasn't much easier either, there were plenty of stories, many people claimed to have travelled back to another era or found themselves in another world completely. None of them came with proof, and to Haley, they either sounded like false statements, or the author seemed a little barmy.

'Hey Haley,' Lucas greeted from over her shoulder.

Haley squealed and received a scowl from the librarian

'Oh my gosh!' she whispered, 'You frightened the life out of me!'

He raised an eyebrow when he saw the stack of books beside the computer. 'Are these yours?'

'Oh, er, I mean, yeah.' Haley blushed.

'Let me get this straight, _you're _reading a book on time travel and teleportation?' Lucas asked to clarify.

'It's not for me, my Dad, you know how he is, he's probably building a time machine as we speak.' Haley rolled her eyes.

Lucas shrugged, 'Cool, can you tell him I'd love to see the Globetrotters in their prime, so if he could fix that for me?'

'You are such a dork.' Haley grinned.

'Hey,' Lucas said holding his hands up in defence, 'I'm not the one checking out those books.'

'Touché.' Haley laughed, 'What does bring you to the library, anyway?'

'I was looking for you.' He revealed, 'I wondered if you wanted to play a game of crazy golf at the pier?'

Haley frowned, unsure why Lucas had gone to the trouble to track her down for a game of golf.

'Listen, it's my treat,' he added, 'I'll by you an ice-cream after as well!'

'Course I'll play with you, you goofball.' Haley smiled, 'I bet I beat you as well.'

Lucas smiled and seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

'Was I really that mean?' whispered to herself.

'I deserved it.' Lucas replied, to her surprise, 'Trust me, I know I deserved it. I just want us to be friends again.'

'Me too. I've missed you, Luke.' Haley smiled.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

'Peyton!' Anna called as she entered her daughter's bedroom.

Peyton glanced up from her computer.

'Phone for you,' Anna said, passing the receiver over, 'It's Ellie.'

'Ellie?' Peyton gasped.

Anna nodded, 'She said she'd call when she reached San Francisco.'

'Right,' Peyton smiled, 'course, thanks.'

Peyton shakily put the phone to her ear, 'Hello?'

'Peyton, hey,' Ellie's familiar voice filled her ears, 'how's the scrap booking going?'

'Er, great, thanks.' Peyton lied rapidly.

'Did you get that clipping from my last article on touring bands?' Ellie asked.

Peyton cringed, 'Uh-huh.'

'Cool, did you like it?'

'It was excellent.' Peyton decided to change the subject, 'So I was wondering if I could borrow some albums of yours, I've had the greatest urge to hear some old school magic.'

There was a pause at the other end of the line, 'You want to listen to some of my old school music?'

'Yeah,' Peyton frowned, 'Is that okay with you?'

'Course, of course it is! I just never thought I'd hear the day when you asked to hear my music, it's a little out there for you.' Ellie explained.

Peyton's jaw dropped, her eyes flicked to her album collection and realised that it wasn't as large as her old one had been. When she glanced over the records she realised that they were all new bands and popular artists.

'I guess I want to reach out.' Peyton said.

'Okay, I'll send you some.' Ellie agreed, 'I'm kind of wiped out so I'm going to hit the hay, but I'll call you in a couple of weeks.'

'A couple of weeks?' Peyton echoed, disappointed.

'I'll be back in L.A then, then I'll get back to calling you weekly.' Ellie explained, 'I'll talk to you then, okay, hun?'

'Sure.' Peyton said, trying to keep her voice even, 'Bye.'

'Bye.' Ellie said softly, before hanging up.

Peyton tossed the phone onto the bed and sighed. Her shoulders slumped and her head hung low.

'Are you okay, Sweets?' Anna asked as she re-entered the room with a pile of laundry.

Peyton nodded, 'Yeah, I'm fine.'

Anna dumped the laundry on the bed and pulled her daughter into a hug. 'I know it's hard for you but you know you've always got me and your Dad, relationships sometimes don't come that easy.'

'Why not though? I mean, shouldn't we have some bond?' Peyton questioned.

Anna stroked Peyton's hair in a motherly fashion, 'Perhaps, but I've never really thought that blood has all that much to do with it, I never got along with my mother and we lived in the same house! Some people are just so unalike that they can't get too close.'

Peyton pouted, 'Do you think I'm like her at all?'

'I'm biased so I'd love to say no but every so often I see a little of her in you.' Anna admitted.

'Like what?' Peyton questioned.

'Well, when you get angry, you're just like her, I swear.' Anna smiled, 'You fold your arms and go rigid just as she always does and you have her scowl.'

'What a thing to inherit.' Peyton puffed.

Anna grinned, 'No, don't believe that for a second, I personally think you got lucky, I can't remember the last time you lost an argument.'

Peyton smiled, 'Thank you.'

'Anytime, that's what Mom's are for right?' She said softly, 'I know Ellie's always travelling so you don't get to see her that much but she loves you and she's so pleased that you reached out to her.'

'I am too.' Peyton said truthfully.

Anna excused herself to get dinner ready after dropping a kiss on her daughter's head, leaving Peyton to untangle the mess of confusion she found herself in.

She assumed that her Mom and Dad had told her about Ellie as originally planned, and Ellie hadn't been sent away when she'd come to Tree Hill. So if that was true then she'd known Ellie for years, and yet, their relationship was so weak.

Peyton returned to her record collection, amazed at all of the great bands that were absent, most notably; The Cure.

How had she reached sixteen without having The Cure as her constant soundtrack? The answer was simple when she thought about it. She was so blissfully happy here that she'd never needed a cure for grief or loneliness. Music wasn't at the forefront of her life, it was just a form of entertainment, rather than her lifeline.

It was odd an odd feeling, realising that you were living the life of someone that you really didn't know at all.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Stretched out on her bed, Peyton was etching furiously, a strong look of determination of her face.

'Hey, girly.' Haley greeted from the doorway.

'Hi.' Peyton returned not looking up from her paper.

'I brought you a little something.' Haley revealed.

Peyton sat up and turned to the doorway, instead of meeting the face of her friend, all she saw was a pile of books.

'Please don't tell me those are my gift.' Peyton scrunched her nose.

Haley dropped the books onto the quilt, 'Not all of them.'

'Okay, not that I'm not grateful or whatever but you saw books and thought of me?'

The brunette chuckled, 'No, I saw books about time travel and related topics and thought of you!'

'Gee, great, first you bring me books, then you bring me science fiction books.' Peyton said in a mocking tone.

'Not fiction actually.' Haley pointed out.

'Are you kidding me? People have seriously written about time leaps?' Peyton questioned.

'Apparently, and trust me, I think they're crazy too, but if they give us a clue of how to get out of here I'll write them a thank you e-mail.' Haley sighed.

'Why not send a telegram, they'd probably appreciate the sentiment.' Peyton joked.

Haley rolled her eyes, 'We can decide that later, I think.'

'I'm sorry, Hales, I'm paying attention, I'll give some of these books a try.' Peyton apologised.

'You will?' Haley asked, her eyes wide.

Peyton shrugged, 'Sure.'

Haley realised that Peyton wasn't going to explain herself so she turned to her sketchpad. The page depicted Peyton, stood in front of a mirror. She was dressed in her usual attire inspired by rock and roll, her reflection on the other hand was wearing a summer dress and a wide smile. The reflection had her hand held out, beckoning rock chick Peyton to join her.

Haley wasn't sure that she really understood the picture but she had a vague idea of what it meant. She couldn't help from smiling a little, pleased that her friend had found some flaws in this world.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Haley left a few hours later after some very unsuccessful research, leaving Peyton confused and dizzy from reading so much. She laid back on her bed and sighed wishing she had her full record collection to take her mind off of all the madness for a while. Her eyelids were heavy and her head was thumping, she closed her eyes for a second, promising that she wouldn't fall asleep, in fear of having another dream.

_Peyton opened her eyes to see that she was in her bedroom, she smiled softly, noting the drawing that was on her desk, it was of her mother and Peyton was happy to call it her favourite picture._

'_Knock, knock!'_

_Peyton turned to see who her visitor was, and rolled her eyes when she caught sight of them._

'_Surprise!' The caller said in a sing-song voice, 'Did you miss me?'_

_Peyton groaned and fell backwards onto her bed. 'What do you want?'_

'_It's not about what I want; it's about what you want.'_

_Peyton rolled her eyes once more and sat up to face her demon._

_As ever, she was dressed in Peyton's Halloween costume from the masquerade ball, and wore a constant smirk on her face. Her subconscious had returned._

'_Would it kill you to get straight to the point?' Peyton asked._

_The angel shrugged, 'What can I say? I don't get out much these days; it's good to see you squirm.'_

'_I'm glad someone's enjoying this.' Peyton said with a false grin._

_Peyton eyed her subconscious suspiciously as she began to rifle through her sketchbooks lying on the desk._

_Suddenly she paused and held up a drawing of a more intimate moment between Larry and Anna; Peyton had modified the scene a little so that birds and flowers surrounded the couple, the dark angel had a grimace plastered on her face._

'_What?' Peyton asked bluntly._

'_A little much don't you think?' She questioned._

_Peyton scowled, 'You're seriously begrudging me being happy?'_

'_You're not happy.' The angel scoffed._

'_If you're my subconscious aren't you supposed to reflect my mood? You said before if I'm a bitch, you're a bitch; well I'm happy, so you should be happy!' Peyton growled._

'_I am reflecting your mood.' The angel grinned, 'You can lie to everyone else but you can't lie to yourself.'_

Peyton's eyes popped open.

'Damn it!' She cursed under her breath, annoyed that she'd fallen asleep when she'd vowed not to.

She wasn't sure what was worse, listening to her bitchy alter ego tell her truths she didn't want to hear, or hearing Brooke beg for her best friend to return. It broke her heart to hear Brooke's pleas, especially as her presence was almost non-existent here.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Haley spent every free moment she had reading up on alternate universes but was having little success in finding any answers. It was lunch time and Haley had discovered that the best place for reading was the tutor centre, firstly because it was quiet, and secondly because no one would catch her with such odd reading material.

As she scanned a chapter on the risks of changing past events if you found yourself thrown back in time, someone entered the room.

'Sorry, I'm on a break.' She called out.

'You spend your breaks reading?'

Haley jumped; she'd recognise that voice anywhere.

There he was, Nathan Scott, stood in front of her, smirking at her choice of recreational activity.

'Maybe you should try it sometime.' She answered.

He chortled, 'Nah, I'm way too cool for that.'

'If you're so cool, then why are you in the tutoring centre?' she asked.

'So you admit being here is uncool?' His eyes danced with laughter, clearly enjoying mocking her.

She sighed, 'Are you just here to make fun or do you want something?'

'Who peed in your cheerios?' he asked.

She narrowed her eyes, 'Someone who reminds me of you.'

'Harsh,' he grinned, 'Maybe I can cheer you up.'

She raised her eyebrows, 'How exactly, are you leaving the room?'

'Actually, I'm offering you an hour a week alone with me, what do you think?' He pulled a slip of paper from his bag and passed it to her.

She ran her eyes over the information, shocked by how badly he was doing, 'You need a lot more than an hour a week.'

'Is that so?' He raised an eyebrow.

'You shouldn't be grinning, they can make you repeat a grade for this.'

His smile dropped, 'You can fix it, right?'

She looked into his pleading eyes and sighed, 'Well, I've done it before.'

'Excellent, can you come to mine tonight? Coach said I need to put in some hours before the classic.'

She nodded, 'Sure.'

'Cool,' he began scrawling on a scrap of paper, 'this is my address, say around six?'

'I'll see you then.'

'I'm Nathan, by the way.' He said, sounding slightly bashful.

'Haley.' She offered, still keeping her voice cool and even.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~


	4. Is this the world we created?

**Thank you for reading and reviewing, here's chapter 4**

Jake and Peyton were relaxing on the quad during their lunch break, both taking advantage of the warm weather. They were wearing their headphones, music ebbed from their ear pieces, creating a dull thudding around the table. Peyton wore an angry scowl on her face as she sketched furiously, and Jake leaved through the pages of a new book.

Haley practically skipped over to the pair, a smile dancing across her face.

Feeling eyes upon them, Jake and Peyton glanced up and pulled the plugs from their ears.

'Okay, I'm being blinded, you're glowing.' Peyton remarked.

'Yeah, Hales, what happened, did you get accepted to Stanford two years early?' Jake questioned.

Haley blushed, 'Nothing happened, and I'm not glowing. I'm just in a good mood.'

Jake and Peyton shared a sceptical look.

'You're lying.' Peyton concluded.

'Am not.' Haley pouted, 'What are you guys doing anyway?'

'Possibly the worst distraction technique I've ever heard.' Jake said dully.

Peyton and Jake laughed, whilst Haley pretended to be offended.

'You suck at lying, Haley.' Peyton chortled.

'Come on,' Jake teased, 'Remember the time we planned the surprise for Peyton's birthday?'

Both girls shook their heads, causing Jake to frown, worried about the health of his two best friends. He knew that they'd struggled to remember a few things directly after the accident but thought that it had been a temporary thing.

'Guys,' he said slowly.

'Jake, please,' Peyton begged with wide eyes, 'We're fine, it's just a blip. Tell us the story, it might jog our memories!'

Jake looked dubious at Peyton's idea but agreed.

'Okay, so last year, Haley had a great idea to surprise you with concert tickets, but you made plans for the same night. So I told Haley she needed to persuade you to cancel.' Jake began, 'But of course, Haley can't lie for toffee.'

Again the pair laughed at Haley, but this time, Haley didn't react.

'Haley?' Peyton called, waving her hand in front of her friend's face.

'Wha-?' Haley questioned, snapping back to reality.

'You totally zoned out.' Jake explained, 'Are you alright?'

Peyton smiled coyly, 'I think she's more than okay, we're just boring her, her mind is clearly on other things.'

Jake followed Peyton's gaze, his eyes landing on none other than Nathan Scott.

'I am not bored, I just drifted, I wasn't thinking about Nathan Scott either.' Haley blushed.

'We've just had the conversation proving you can't lie, Haley, just tell the truth.' Jake requested.

Haley sighed, determined not to let her friends get the better of her, 'I was looking in his direction, but only because I just agreed to tutor him.'

Peyton's eyes nearly bugged out of her head before she beamed a radiant smile, 'Haley!'

Haley set her jaw but couldn't help her cheeks from flushing, especially as Jake was now humming 'bow-chicka-wow-wow' and dancing in an odd manner.

'Well this certainly beats the entertainment in the cafeteria!' Peyton cackled.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Later that afternoon, Haley met with Lucas at the café.

'Hey, Luke,' Haley greeted warmly as she entered the restaurant. She had to stop herself from collecting dirty plates and taking them through to the kitchen.

'Hi,' he returned, 'I won't be a second, and I'll close up.'

Haley assured him that he didn't mind waiting and took a seat at the counter. Lucas fixed her up with a hot chocolate which she sipped as she watched him work.

He was the same Lucas that she'd befriended years ago but under the surface something was noticeably different. The grief of losing Keith, and perhaps the absence of a best friend had done this to him. He was still kind hearted, gentle and considerate, and yet there was a darker edge about him. Just by looking at the way he carried himself, Haley could see the difference in him. His shoulders were constantly hunched and he wore a look of gloominess to replace the smile he usually held.

'You ready?' He asked suddenly, making Haley jump.

She smiled, 'Sorry, I'm in a world of my own.'

'Where do you want to go?' He asked, 'I was thinking we could catch a film.'

'Sounds good to me, would you mind if we walked though?' Haley requested.

Lucas frowned, 'Sure, are you feeling alright?'

Haley nodded, 'Yes, I'm fine, I just feel like some fresh air.'

The pair took a leisurely stroll into town, laughing and joking like old times, although Haley noticed the spark missing from Lucas' eyes.

'I've been wanting to talk to you about something actually.' Lucas announced, 'It's the classic this weekend and Nathan asked me to go along, in case they need a sub.'

Haley was taken aback, surprised that Nathan and Lucas had exchanged any civil words at all. 'Doesn't the team already have subs?'

'Yeah, but Nathan reckons that I'd be a better fill in.' Lucas said bashfully.

'Oh, well he's probably right.' Haley pointed out.

'I think I'm good enough.' He said uneasily.

Haley smiled softly, 'Lucas, I know you're good enough.'

Lucas nodded, 'I wanted to talk to you about it because you knew Keith.'

Haley sucked in a breath.

'It's just that Keith always told me to enjoy the game, he loved it and passed that on to me.' Lucas began to explain, 'but I remember him talking about playing ball in high school, he said that it all turned into a big competition and there was all this pressure and it stopped being a game he enjoyed.'

Haley watched Lucas sigh with a heavy heart.

'Lucas, Keith would want you to be happy and not limit yourself because of fear. I know how much you love to play and how good you are, if you join the team you could improve and play every week.' Haley said, eyes shining.

Lucas nodded, 'But what if it changes the game for me?'

'It won't Lucas, trust me.' Haley said sincerely. 'You just have to promise me one thing.'

Lucas nodded, 'Sure, anything.'

'You know I'm a dork, right?' Haley asked.

Lucas narrowed his eyes, 'Is that a serious question?'

'Well, anyway, I was reading this article about young athletes and a heart condition called HCM, they're urging people to get tested, especially athletic young men because it's killing healthy people. A kid will be playing football or basketball, and then suddenly they drop dead. Anyone can have it, and no one realises until it's too late.' Haley warbled, 'I want, no, I need you to get tested.'

'Okay.' Lucas committed, although he looked a little confused.

'Thank you.' Haley whispered, 'Now, let's get some popcorn for this chick flick!'

'Chick flick?' He echoed, 'No way, Hales, we should catch that horror film!'

'Lucas, as I'm paying, I get to choose; and I want to see a gushy romance.' Haley grinned.

Lucas groaned but followed Haley to take his seat amongst the women of the theatre.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

'The Classic is this weekend!' Brooke raged to her squad as they sprawled out on the gym floor, exhausted.

Jake chuckled, shaking his head as he approached his two best friends who were sat on the bleachers, 'So glad that I'm not a cheerleader right now.'

Haley and Peyton gave Jake a quizzical look.

He shrugged, lifting his daughter out of her car seat, 'Hey, Jenny, were you a good girl for Peyton?'

Haley coughed, reminding him of her presence.

'Oh, and were you good for Haley too?' He added, 'Sorry, Hales, it's just that you don't usually stay for basketball practice.'

'I came to see how Lucas' first training session was.' She admitted.

Jake smirked, 'A session that Nathan just happens to be at too!'

'All sweaty from practise, focused, determined, oh, and about to take his shirt off!' Peyton added to the teasing.

'This is getting old, guys.' Haley groaned.

Her two friends just laughed at her, and tried to get Jenny to join in their amusement.

'Hey, what's so funny?' Lucas asked as he approached the group.

'Nothing.' Haley said rapidly, trying to hide the issue.

'Luke, Haley is totally crushing on Nathan!' Jake informed his team mate.

Peyton and Haley shared a look of surprise, and waited for Lucas to lash out into a rant about his pig-headed brother.

'Really, Hales?' He asked indifferently, 'Maybe I'll accidentally let that slip!'

Haley frowned, 'This isn't weird for you?'

'You're not marrying the guy, you just like him. Nathan's not the worst guy in the world.' Lucas shrugged.

Haley took in his words and nodded, 'Right, you're right.'

Meanwhile Peyton sat open mouthed, not caught up on events, or the news that in this world Lucas and Nathan didn't hate each other.

'Anyway,' Lucas said swiftly, 'I was wondering if you wanted to come to the Classic this weekend, Hales, I could do with some moral support.'

'The Classic?' She repeated.

'Nathan will be there!' Lucas added, eyebrows raised.

'I will come,' Haley smiled, 'purely for moral support.'

'And a little _bow-chicka-wow-wow_!' Jake sang.

'What is with you and that song?' Haley scolded as Jake laughed.

Lucas smiled, 'So I guess I'll see you guys at the Classic.'

Peyton blushed and turned her attention to Jenny.

'Are you not going, Peyton?' Lucas asked, 'You should go with Haley, there's not enough room on the bus for guests, so you could ride together.'

'Yes!' Haley's eyes widened, 'I totally don't have a car, please Peyton!'

Peyton shrugged, 'Sure, okay.'

Lucas gave Peyton a long stare and a lop-sided grin, 'I'm looking forward to it.'

He excused himself, leaving the trio of friends more confused than ever.

'He was so checking you out!' Haley gushed, beaming from ear to ear.

Peyton brushed her off, and Jake refused to comment, instead he turned to Jenny, to adjust her blankets which were already tightly wrapped around her.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

'There is not enough room on my bus for pom-poms Miss Davis!' Coach Durham lectured.

Brooke pouted and stomped her feet, 'It's our equipment! We need it!'

At this point, Peyton pulled up in the comet, to collect Haley and drive to Charlotte. Haley hugged her friend before skipping over to the waiting car.

'You ready?' Peyton asked as Haley threw her bag onto the back seat.

Haley nodded, and Peyton went to pull away.

'Hey! Wait up!'

Peyton braked, and the two girls turned to see Brooke frantically running towards them, pom-poms flapping wildly as she sprinted.

'Are you guys going to the Classic?' Brooke asked, wide eyed.

The girls confirmed that they were and Brooke begged them to carry a little extra luggage for her. Peyton had only shrugged, as a few light weight items didn't make a difference to her.

Brooke merrily bounced away to collect the rest of the items and go for a toilet break.

'Did she really have to tell us everything she's drunk today, just to justify her need to pee?' Haley asked.

'That's Brooke.' Peyton smiled.

As they waited for the rest of Brooke's luggage, Haley flicked through a magazine, and Peyton tuned the radio. It was only when they heard a rumbling thunder past them that they realised that the bus was driving out of the lot. Both girls turned to check see if Brooke had finished loading the car without them realising, but only met the sight of a half filled backseat.

'Are they just playing a trick on her?' Peyton asked.

Haley's mouth hung open, 'Does Whitey think we're riding with her?'

Peyton paused for a moment, 'Well, I guess we are now.'

When Brooke finally returned from her long break, she turned from preppy cheerleader to raging, mad and uncontrollable.

'If they think that they are ever going to hear the last of this, they have got another thing coming! I'm the captain! Why haven't they turned back? What if I didn't turn up at all, they'd be completely lost, that group of morons that call themselves a squad couldn't teach monkeys to eat bananas!' Brooke ranted. 'They are going to pay for this!'

'How about we play a game!' Haley suggested.

Peyton threw a grateful look to her friend, whilst Brooke considered.

'Okay, can we play the radio game?' Brooke requested, 'It's my fav.'

The front seat riders agreed and Brooke decided to go first.

'Radio, what will happen when I get to the Classic?' Brooke asked, leaning over the seats to fiddle with the dial.

"_Showing how funky strong is your fight_

_It doesn't matter who's wrong or right_

_Just beat it, beat it"_

Brooke nodded slowly, 'That makes sense I guess, I think the radio is telling me to channel my anger towards the competition rather than my squad. I can use my determination to my advantage!'

'Thank you radio.' Haley whispered under her breath.

'Who's next?' Brooke posed.

'I'll go next!' Peyton volunteered, 'What is Ellie thinking about?'

Haley glanced nervously at the radio, whilst Brooke frowned, clueless to Ellie's identity.

"_It's the good advice that you just didn't take  
__  
Who would've thought...it figures."_

Again the recipient of the answer nodded slowly, but she didn't speak.

'Who's Ellie?' Brooke enquired, not realising it was a difficult subject.

'Brooke-' Haley began.

'No, it's okay, Ellie's my biological mother, I was adopted by my parents when I was a baby.' Peyton explained.

'Cool, I wish I was adopted.' Brooke flooded.

'Brooke!' Haley warned, shocked by her words.

Together, Brooke and Peyton shrugged.

'You're turn, Haley.' Peyton told her friend.

Haley took a moment, 'How's my boy?'

This time it was Peyton who gave a nervous glance, knowing that Haley was referring to Jamie.

"_All the women who are independent_

Throw your hands up at me."

Haley tried not to look too disappointed, but Peyton saw through her.

'Stupid radio.' Haley tried to laugh off her annoyance.

Peyton squeezed her friend's knee in an offer of condolence as she couldn't hug her whilst driving.

'Who's the boy?' Brooke questioned, one eyebrow raised coyly.

Haley sighed, 'Someone I love so much but he's not here anymore.'

'Eurgh, boys are such jerks! Don't tell me he ran away! I think that I'm going to start dating men, which would get up Nathan's nose. What do you think?' Brooke put forward.

'Sure, Brooke.' Haley said lost in thought.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

At the classic, Haley and Lucas went for pizza to catch up, whilst Jake and Peyton hung out in the lobby coming up for nicknames for cheerleaders of opposing schools.

'What about her?' Jake pointed to a lanky girl dressed in green.

'Spaghetti Limbs.' Peyton answered, 'Oh, Spaghetti Limbs is about to join the pyramid!'

'She's going on top of Petite Pippi Short Stocking?' Jake's eyes bugged, 'That's a recipe for disaster!'

'You're telling me, where is Big Mac going to fit into this?' Peyton scrunched her nose.

Jake laughed, 'Your guess is as good as mine. At least she's put the burger down now, I was expecting it to be a new member.'

'I like Big Mac, she's got spunk, who else would bring junk food to a cheer contest? I think she did it for fun, just to tease the others, she's skinny as a rake!' Peyton remarked.

'Good point, maybe we should rename her Spunky Fast Food Junky?' Jake suggested.

Peyton grinned, 'I think it suits her more that Big Mac does.'

When the pair turned to see the progress of the pyramid, they instead met the face of Brooke, who looked mad, excited and upset all at once.

'Peyton, are you any good at dancing?' She said evenly.

'Er, not too bad.' Peyton replied uncertainly.

'That'll do, you can't be any worse than your klutzy friend, welcome to my squad!' Brooke announced.

Peyton looked surprised, but at once knew what had happened; Theresa had the Chicken Pox, so Brooke was desperately looking for a replacement.

'Okay.' Peyton agreed, eager to help Brooke out and try to build some bridges.

She needed to prove to her subconscious demon angel that she wasn't unhappy here, and she figured that the best way to do that was to win her best friend back.

Brooke, Peyton and the rest of the squad practised throughout the night, until the routine was perfect, and Brooke gave the girls a well deserved break.

'You did good, Peyton, thanks for doing this.' Brooke said, appreciatively.

'It's no problem.' Peyton smiled warmly.

'Well, I'm off to bed, see you later.' Brooke announced, turning on her heel before Peyton could speak another word.

Her shoulders slumped, she'd barely spoken to Brooke all night even though they'd been in the same room for hours. She just didn't know how to build the friendship of a lifetime from the whispers of a few childhood memories. Could she build a bond like that, this far down the line? Peyton didn't want to answer that question, fearful that such a close relationship was impossible to create from the ashes of her dreams.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

In the early hours of the morning, Haley and Peyton found themselves alone for the first time in what seemed like forever.

'How was dinner with Lucas?' Peyton asked.

'Really good, it's almost like we never had that distance, I can just feel the tension disappearing little by little. He's becoming Lucas again.' Haley smiled, 'How about you and Brooke?'

Peyton sighed, 'No progress, I'm just the girl she used to know when she was seven.'

'She'll come around.' Haley tried to reassure her.

Peyton looked sceptical, 'Will she? Apparently the last time we were friends was ten years ago. We have nothing in common and no connection to each other, how do I change that?'

Haley thought for a moment, 'When you think of your friendship with Brooke, you think of loyalty, love and sisterhood, not trips to the mall and high school gossip.'

'Yes, but the loyalty, love and sisterhood all stems from being friends throughout those hard years. We're friends because we were the only family either of us had and the reason we're close is the time we spent together as the only people we could rely on.' Peyton pointed out, 'We're friends because my Mom died.'

'No, Peyton, that was just the spark.' Haley insisted.

'Haley why did you first become friends with Lucas?' Peyton questioned.

Haley shrugged, 'He was kind and compassionate, and there was just him and Karen, my family's so big, they didn't miss me not being there.'

'What if you were an only child?' Peyton posed.

'I'd still be friends with Lucas.' Haley said confidently.

Peyton narrowed her eyes, 'Are you sure? I mean you might still be nice to one another and hang out but would you be best friends? You'd spend more time at home, maybe be a little more outgoing, or enjoy playing sports, anything. You wouldn't have the same relationship you have now.'

'Okay, maybe you're right, but aren't you going to try?' Haley asked.

Peyton looked down sadly, 'I won't give up on her, but I'm losing faith. This fairytale isn't what I expected it to be.'

Haley pulled the blonde into a one armed hug. 'I know. I miss our real lives so much.'

'Haley, I have something I need to tell you.' Peyton confessed, 'I've been having these dreams.'

Haley frowned, 'Okay.'

'I've had a few of them now, and I think I now what they are.' She began, 'I think I can hear things happening in the adult world. It's pretty much just Brooke that I hear, pleading me to wake up. I think that in the adult world we're unconscious or something.'

Haley eyed her friend wearily, unsure whether she was right or just delusional.

'Think about it, it makes sense, do you remember the accident, I mean, what happened before we woke up here?' Peyton asked.

Haley smiled, 'How can I forget? We were at that horrible bachelor/bachelorette party that everyone organised to push me and Nathan back together, even though it was supposed to be for Lucas and Lindsey.'

'Nathan was moping around and so I dragged you away to knock some sense into you.' Peyton laughed. 'And you led me away to your secret roof terrace which is so obviously your secret sex spot away from the kid.'

'I told you it is not!' Haley whispered urgently.

'Whatever, we all know your obsession with the rain.' Peyton waved a hand.

'So we were on the terrace talking about Nathan and Lucas, then the earth just seemed to move from under us.' Haley said slowly.

Peyton nodded, 'Lindsey's just bad luck, trust it to be her bachelorette party that a freak accident happened, maybe she's a witch and cursed me away from Lucas!'

'Why am I involved in this nightmare then?' Haley demanded.

'Wrong place, wrong time? Or maybe she secretly dislikes you!' Peyton laughed.

'Ha, not funny.' Haley sighed, 'So you think we fell off the roof or something?'

'Probably, hopefully not though, imagine how embarrassing that would be.' Peyton groaned.

'Let's hope not.' Haley chuckled, 'We better get to sleep, cheerleaders need their beauty sleep, right?'

'Unfortunately you're right.' Peyton smiled, 'Night, Hales.'

'Sweet dreams.' Haley replied.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

_Peyton found herself in the white room once again, her only company was the voice of her friend flowing through the room. This time however, it wasn't Brooke._

'_Peyton, it's Nathan. Sorry I haven't checked in, I've been with Haley. Course, I'm not her favourite person right now.'_

_Nathan sighed largely._

'_You don't mind if I talk to you for a while, do you, Sawyer?' _

_Peyton smiled and shook her head, even though he couldn't see her._

'_I've messed up, I'm so scared Haley's not going to forgive me. I didn't do anything with Carrie, I swear, but I messed up by not fighting harder to prove it to Haley. I need her so bad, I just need her to be okay. What do I do? I can't lose her, Jamie and I can't function without her, she's our whole world.'_

_Nathan's voice began to break._

'_Maybe I should talk about something else. Brooke's barely left your side, you know, she's lost without you. Then there's Lucas, he can't seem to stay away from you, Sawyer, I'm not sure if Lindsey's too happy about that though.'_

_Peyton's heart fluttered. Back in the adult world all she'd been wanting was Lucas to come back to her, and now she was in the hospital it appeared that he was visiting against his fiancée's wishes. _

_Then her heart sank, she was stuck here in a place that was rapidly becoming her own personal nightmare, she knew that she had a decision to make, did she want her Mom or did she want her life back? _

_She played with the hem of her white dress, in the adult world she didn't have Lucas and she didn't have her Mom, but she had everything else that made her Peyton and she had amazing friends. Maybe this was the wake up call that she'd needed, you can't have everything in life but you have to enjoy what you do have. Everything happens for a reason, even if the event is as tragic and heartbreaking as losing a parent, it makes you the person that you are._

_Peyton sighed, wondering why everything had to be so complicated._

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

**Lyrics are from Beat it by Michael Jackson, Ironic by Alanis Morrissette and Independent Women by Destiny's Child. Sorry that this was a filler chapter but I wanted to show how relationships are faring. **


	5. These are the Days of our Lives

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait!**

**I think there's been a little confusion, thanks for pointing this out to me, as the writer I know in my head how everything is but sometimes it doesn't get conveyed properly, sorry.**

**Couples: So far the only couple was Brooke and Nathan, but they had a row on the quad and are currently floating in dating limbo. Haley and Jake are just good friends, as are Peyton and Jake. **

**As of now I will refer to the 'season five' world as the real world or the adult world. This is where Haley and Peyton were before they woke up (episode 5x11, at the bachelor/bachelorette party).**

**The world they have found themselves in (the AU land where they're 16) will be the alternate world/other world/dream world etc.**

**I hope this clears a few things up, PM me if you have any questions.**

**This picks up during Peyton's dream…**

_Peyton's dream continued, although she wasn't sure she felt comfortable listening to Nathan's vulnerable ramblings. For one thing, she felt as though it was surely Haley he should be spilling to; and for another, it made her realise how much she needed to return to the adult world._

'_I bet you can't believe how whipped I am.' Nathan said, almost chuckling. 'I remember when we used to date, man, I was an ass. I'm sorry for that, Peyton; really, I was just a stupid kid. Then Haley came along, she changed my life, she changed me. Without her I'd be Dan Scott junior for sure, I need to tell her that, tell her everything.' _

_Peyton listened as he began to choke up, her eyes swimming with tears._

'_I just need to let her know how amazing she is, and that she's the only girl for me. She needs to wake up, me and the boy miss her too much, we're just lost at the moment.'_

_Nathan sniffed, apparently breaking down at her bedside, but Peyton was powerless to comfort him._

'_I need you to wake up too, Peyton. You need to wake up and kick my wife's butt into gear; you were always good at that, getting her to face facts. I need her to take me back. I need my family back, do me a favour and I'll return it, we all know that Lucas needs a good kick in the right direction. Do we have a deal, Sawyer?'_

_Peyton nodded, readily accepting, if not for her own sake but for Nathan, Haley and Jamie's._

'_Lucas brought in some of your good old fashioned loser rock, I'll put some on for you.' Nathan offered, and soon the opening bars of the Disintegration album filled the room. 'Man, you have weird taste, what is this? The Cure. Huh, I guess that's fitting.' _

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Peyton awoke suddenly on the morning of the cheerleading competition, but that was the last thing on her mind, she was desperate to find Haley and tell her about Nathan's confession. She was certain that her dreams were the real thing, her connection to their old lives. This time she'd witnessed Nathan's denial of his affair, and was convinced that he was telling the truth. She didn't know why he'd lie when he thought that no one was listening. He was so open and exposed, there was no doubt in her mind that she'd heard Nathan and that he was being completely honest.

The only drawback to her revealing vision was the migraine that came with it.

She rolled over and checked her phone for the time, her eyes bugged out of her head when she saw that she had only half an hour until she had to meet Brooke and the cheerleaders for a final rehearsal.

After a quick shower, dressing in her cheer outfit and eating an energy bar, she sprinted down to the lobby, disappointed that she hadn't had the time to speak to Haley.

Despite her sore head, Peyton performed well during the routine. She'd been spurred on by Haley and Jake who were sat near by shouting cheers of encouragement.

Haley and Jake ran to her once she'd finished, congratulating her on her performance.

'I never thought I'd see the day you were a cheerleader, Peyt,' Jake laughed, 'you rocked it though.'

'Yeah, you did.' Haley agreed, 'I always knew you could do it.'

Peyton chuckled, knowing what Haley really meant.

'I need to head to training,' Jake announced, 'You did great, Peyt, I'll catch up with you guys later.'

The girls smiled and waved him goodbye warmly.

'Great, I'm glad we're alone now,' Peyton sighed in relief, 'I really need to talk to you.'

Haley frowned, 'Okay.'

Peyton grabbed Haley's wrist and led her towards a quiet corridor, careful that no one was around to listen.

'So I had another dream last night.' She revealed.

'You heard Brooke again?' Haley asked wide eyed, more interested than she had been the previous night.

'No,' Peyton shook her head, 'I heard your husband.'

'Oh.' Haley didn't know what else to say.

'Haley, I know this sounds ridiculous, me telling you that these dreams are real but I really believe it.' Peyton told her glassy eyed, 'They're so real and so emotive, I wish that I could show you.'

'I believe you.' Haley insisted rapidly, desperate to hear what Nathan had said.

'Okay, so Nathan,' Peyton began slowly in a solemn tone, 'He was so depressed, and broken, unlike I've ever known him before. When you went on tour in junior year he was a mess, the lowest I've ever seen him, but in this dream, it was like he was a different man, hollow and empty.'

Haley looked as though she was trying hard not to react, desperate not to show any softness towards her cheating husband.

'He's just completely lost without you, I can't describe it any other way.' Peyton urged Haley to buy into her vision, 'Hales, he was so raw and emotive, he couldn't stop himself from talking about you, you're his everything. It's like he just opened up to me, and he was so sincere. He denied the affair, and Haley, I believe him, why would he lie to someone in a coma? He sounded so desperate, and he mentioned Jamie too, the kid is missing you, Haley they're your family, both of them. He didn't do anything with Carrie, I know it. He wouldn't do that to you, he would never hurt the girl who owns his heart. You guys are forever and always, right?'

Haley bit her bottom lip and nodded furiously, a tear already rolling down her cheek.

Peyton pulled her friend into a tight hug, 'It's okay, we're going to get out of here, I promise.'

'Good because I need to see my boys again, and tell them that I love them.' Haley whispered, her voice trembling as she did.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Although Peyton had her suspicions of how to return to the real world, she had yet to share them with Haley, through fear of how Haley would use the information. She wanted to be sure of her assumptions before they acted on them.

She had concluded that she only connected with the adult world when she was asleep, and in a very deep sleep at that. Whenever she awoke after a vision, she had a migraine. If she was correct, then unconsciousness plus pain equalled the real world, meaning that she possibly had to recreate one of the ill-fated accidents for them to return to their lives. Of course, she wasn't completely sure and didn't want Haley electrocuting herself in an attempt to leave the alternate universe.

Instead of trying out her idea, she carried on with the routine of her sixteen year old self, this meant one thing at this point; Boy Toy Auction.

Even though Haley was desperate to return to the real world, Peyton had noticed a refreshed sparkle in her friend's eyes. It looked like Haley was the giddy teenager she never had the chance to be first time around. Now with knowledge and experience, Haley was confident and assertive, and had confided to Peyton that she was going to bid on Nathan.

Peyton wasn't sure if she was going to bid on anyone, if anything, she had gone along with Haley for moral support. She had considered Jake but had a feeling that Nicki was going to make her appearance at the auction. Peyton would have preferred to spend the night at home. She realised that by returning to the real world she would be giving up her heart's deepest desire, and saying goodbye to her Mom. If she was going to make that sacrifice, she wanted to make the most of the little time that she actually had with her Mom, as she'd never get an opportunity like this again.

'Nathan's next!' Haley grinned, bringing Peyton back into reality, 'Do you know who you're going to bid on yet?'

Peyton sighed, 'No, I think I might give it a miss though, boy drama is too much for me right now.'

Haley bit her lip, 'Maybe you're right, we really should be focussing on getting out of here.'

'Hales, one night of fun isn't going to hurt you,' Peyton smiled, 'plus, who knows how long we'll be stuck here, you should spend some time with your husband.'

'He's not my husband here.' Haley reminded her.

Peyton raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, 'Haley James, I never thought I'd see the day.'

Haley gave her friend a playful shove and laughed.

Nathan's name was announced and he paraded onto the runway in his basketball shorts and painted bare chest. Haley's eyes glistened and Peyton chuckled.

Whitey began the bidding, and a free-for-all ensued. Haley rapidly counted her bills in a furious manner, desperate not to lose.

'Here,' Peyton offered, 'I have eighty seven dollars and fifty three cents, go and win your boy.'

'Peyton-'

'It's for charity! And besides if I have the money, I'll end up with Tim.' Peyton assured her friend.

'Thank you.' Haley smiled, before holding her wad of cash in the air, 'Two hundred and twenty seven dollars! And fifty three cents!'

Calm fell across the room, and Nathan searched for his mystery high bidder.

'Sold!' Whitey called, sealing the deal by dropping his gavel onto the desk.

Peyton squealed at her friend's success, whilst Haley grinned madly.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Haley waved to Nathan from across the room, and he kinked an eyebrow.

'You just couldn't resist me huh?' he teased, 'Do I get extra credit for this?'

'If you do just as I say.' Haley replied slyly, smiling widely.

He frowned and faltered slightly, 'Hang on; you're not going to make me study are you?'

Haley laughed, 'No. I was thinking we could just hang out, watch a movie, eat fast food.'

'You're the boss.' Nathan grinned, 'We can go to my parents' beach house if you like.'

Haley hesitated for a second, confused as to why Nathan would offer his parents' house over his apartment. She figured that in this alternate world, Nathan either got along better with his parents, or hadn't had the idea to get emancipated. She hoped that it was the first one.

They spent a somewhat cosy evening in the snug, watching _Breakfast at Tiffany's_; Haley's favourite film. Nathan had used a number of his moves during the movie, and Haley hadn't pushed him away. It felt good to be wrapped in her husband's embrace again, even though the scenario was extremely surreal.

At the end of the film, Nathan leaned in for a kiss, and Haley responded passionately, welcoming the affection of Nathan once more. Something felt different, but she realised that Nathan had changed a lot over the years, and the boy she was kissing was just a fraction of the man he would become.

Quickly, the innocent kiss became much steamier and hands began to roam. In sync with each other's thoughts, they began to undress each other as Holly and Paul kissed in the rain on the big screen. The act was lacking their usual fire and passion, Nathan knew exactly what he wanted and dove straight in. He placed a few kisses on her collar bone but offered no compliments or encouragement to Haley. He held Haley's wrists, ensuring that he was in control and she didn't move about or change his plan of action. Haley murmured soflty but gradually she lost her enthusiasm and watched numbly as Nathan reached his climax; completely ignorant to her feelings.

That night, Haley and Nathan slept together, and it was a new experience for both of them.

Nathan had never slept with a girl outside of the popularity circle before that night, and Haley had never slept with someone who wasn't in love with her before that night.

Immediately after, Nathan went to take a shower. He invited Haley to join him but she had lost her teenage giddy lust.

She felt used and empty, she was now just another girl on Nathan's list, another conquest, another lay. She felt dirty and disheartened, to this sixteen year old Nathan, she was a slutty tutor. It was win-win for him, good grades and the bonus of a little fooling around.

She sighed and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure quite what she'd had expected, maybe that the young high school kid would morph into her beloved, sorely missed husband.

Nathan emerged from the bathroom, wearing just a towel, 'Sure I can't interest you, Babe?'

Haley shook her head, 'Do you know what my name is?'

Nathan laughed, 'It's Haley.'

'My whole name.' Haley pushed.

Nathan shrugged, confused as to why she was suddenly so cold and distant, 'You never told me.'

Haley began to gather all of her belongings, signalling that the night was over, 'We have homeroom and History together.'

'Haley!' He called after her, 'Hey, what gives?'

'I have to go.' She told him before fleeing the house.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

At the Sawyer household, Peyton was proud to admit that she was having the time of her life, in the company of her parents.

The trio were in the back garden, Larry was cooking up a feast on the barbeque, whilst Anna was giving Peyton a lesson on ballroom and slow dancing.

'Okay, so I'm the guy.' Anna said in a serious manner, 'And you my dear, are the gorgeous girl he is lucky to be dancing with.'

Peyton blushed, and followed her mother's prompts of where to put her arms.

'So you're looking to keep your eyes on the prize, which is the guy and not your feet.' Anna chuckled, 'Sweets, you should probably try and dance with taller guys, or wear flats so that he can lead you and it's not awkward.'

Peyton nodded, taking her mother's advice on board.

Anna smiled, 'Larry, music please!'

Her husband complied and a soft melody flowed across the yard. Anna gently led Peyton in small circles, her grin widening as they danced. She guided Peyton into a twirl which was mastered on the first attempt.

'You're a natural!' Anna complimented, 'Don't you think, Larry?'

'She dances like her mother, effortless; like she's dancing on air.' Larry offered.

Anna sent an affectionate look to her husband, 'If you're a sweet talker like your father, you'll be fighting the boys away.'

'Boys like sweet talk?' Peyton asked.

'The good ones do.' Anna smirked, flashing another grin to her husband, 'Look at my little girl, all grown up! You'll be at Prom next!'

'Don't I know it.' Larry grunted, 'I'm not sure I'm ready for my Baby Girl to go to Prom.'

'He's just jealous.' Anna told her daughter, 'He wants to be the only guy to dance with you.'

'Too right I do.' Larry confirmed, 'I hope my girls are saving me a dance.'

Anna blushed and Peyton smiled at her parents' lovey-doveyness, 'Of course we are. You're Dad is a charming dancer, Sweets, that's how he won me over.'

Mother and daughter smoothly came to a stop and Anna stared adoringly into her daughter's eyes, 'He's going to be a lucky guy, whoever you pick.'

Peyton smiled bashfully, happily lapping up the mother-daughter moment.

Anna tucked a loose curl behind Peyton's ear, 'Promise that you'll find a boy you adore and who treats you right. I want you to find someone who steals your heart and gives you butterflies when you see him, like your Dad does to me.'

Peyton nodded furiously, begging her eyes to stay dry.

'Just don't be surprised when your father and I rule the dance floor at your wedding reception!' Anna's eyes sparkled with happiness, whilst Peyton's sparkled with unshed tears.

'Whoa!' Larry called from where he was manning the grill, 'Anna, don't go marrying her off yet!'

Anna laughed, 'I can't help it, just imagining her all dressed up like a princess, and dancing with a handsome, devoted man, it melts my heart.'

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

A few hours later, after the barbeque food had been devoured, and Larry had danced with his girls, the family had ended up lounged on the grass, watching the starry sky.

A lone figure rounded the corner of the house and greeted them softly.

'Haley?' Anna asked softly, jumping up, 'What's the matter, love?'

Haley shook her head, 'I just had a bad night, there was this guy, but, well, I don't want to talk about it,'

Anna gave her a one armed hug and pulled her down onto the grass, 'Boys are very good at breaking hearts, there are good ones out there though, I promise you.'

Haley nodded and composed herself. She laid back on the grass and copied the family in watching the stars.

Larry showed the girls a few constellations, his eyes softening as he pointed to Gemini, which formed a picture of two people holding hands. Anna snuggled closer to her husband and they shared a short kiss.

Haley sighed, her thoughts going to her own husband back in the real world. She felt Peyton's hand reach out and take her hand, giving it a squeeze.

'Thank you.' Haley whispered.

'Wait here a minute.' Peyton ordered before scrambling up and jogging to the house.

Haley frowned but Anna and Larry only laughed, their eyes twinkling.

A few minutes later Peyton returned carrying a tray of drinks, a wide smile etched on her face. Haley returned the grin when she realised that her friend was bringing them all a root beer float. Peyton's self proclaimed remedy to anything.

Anna and Larry retired to the porch, where there was a swing-seat and a patio heater. Haley and Peyton stayed on the grass, wrapped in blankets.

'They're so in love, aren't they?' Haley remarked upon Peyton's parents.

Peyton only nodded in response.

'It's not fair, why did she have to die in our world?' Haley sighed.

Peyton took a moment to reply, 'I think she kind of had to, I mean, sure, my Dad and I suffered because of it but the world just flowed better without her. Keith shaped Luke, without him, he still became Lucas but he has a heavy heart and an underlying bitterness. Brooke's all alone and is just sleeping her way through high school, with no real friends. Nathan's treated you badly apparently. You're unhappy and if I'm honest, I'm not completely happy.'

Peyton's eyes began to fill up at the thought of wishing her Mom's life away, 'I think that as a group, we all needed Keith more than we needed my Mom-'

Haley put her arms around her friend, her heart breaking slightly.

'Everything happens for a reason, right?' Peyton asked.

'Apparently, I mean, I guess there's a reason that we're here in this alternate world.' Haley shrugged.

'I think I know why I'm here.' Peyton admitted, her voice cracking, 'I needed this closure with my Mom. To see how it could have been if she'd lived. This is my fairytale, but it's like everyone else's nightmare, and I wouldn't want that for you guys.'

'You shouldn't have to sacrifice your happiness.' Haley said softly.

Peyton shook her head, 'I have a theory, in this alternate world, Keith took my Mom's place, but what if next year my Mom takes Keith's place?'

'The school shooting.' Haley breathed.

Peyton nodded, her eyes swimming with unshed tears, 'In this world I get my Mom for seven more years, seven great years, but then we get so close and she dies. Losing her when I was nine was terrible, but to lose her at seventeen? Knowing that it would have been because of me, I think that it would completely break me. Then what would I have? You and my Dad.'

Haley's mind began to race, taking in all of the information that Peyton had revealed to her. 'Peyton, I'm so sorry.'

'No, this is a good thing,' Peyton insisted, 'I've always carried so much bitterness around with my Mom's death, and now I understand it. She had to die to ensure the happiness of me and my friends, the ultimate sacrifice.'

'So you think that's why you're here?' Haley questioned.

'I think so. That, or it's just a coincidence and I just convinced myself of all of that stuff.'

'You're ready to go back to the real world then?' Haley asked.

'Not quite yet.' Peyton gave her friend a sad smile.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~


	6. It's a Hard Life

**This is a short chapter, showing a glimpse into the adult/real world. There have been snippets of Brooke and Nathan talking to Peyton, but this tells you a bit more about how everyone's coping and a bit of background about the accident.**

**This is for Long Live BRUCAS, kind of as an apology I guess, because I have a feeling you're not going to like this!**

**Enjoy, Alex : )**

The real world; three days since the accident.

Nathan Scott barely left the bedside of his unconscious wife.

It had been three days since the earthquake had hit but it felt to him like an eternity since he'd heard her voice, seen her wide brown eyes or told her that he loved her.

He blamed himself of course, even though it wasn't his fault; it had been a natural disaster after all. It wasn't a serious quake, there wasn't much damage to buildings in the town and there were not many people injured in the tremor. Unfortunately Haley had been one of the people hurt in the disaster.

Just why Haley and Peyton had been on the roof, Nathan wasn't quite sure. He and Haley had declared that the roof terrace was their special place, away from the madness of the world where they could be alone under the sky as husband and wife. They'd agreed not to tell anyone about it, not even Jamie; mainly because it was a sloping roof with no guard rail and they were frightened that their little boy could fall if he went up there. Little did they know that their fears would be realised and an accident would occur.

When the shudders began, Nathan had been in the garden, chatting to Brooke.

'_What the hell?' Brooke squealed as the earth below them began to shake._

'_It's an earthquake,' Owen said from behind the pair._

'_I need to find Jamie!' Nathan announced as he sped towards the house. 'Jamie! JAMIE! Haley? JAMIE! HALEY!'_

_Finally he located his son, looking afraid as he sheltered under the canopy of the patio awning. Nathan sprinted towards his son and hugged him tightly. The ground began to shake in a fiercer manner so Nathan used his own body to shield his small son from any falling debris. _

_After a few drawn out minutes everything stopped and silence rang through the air before shouting and crying began._

'_Jamie, are you okay?' Nathan asked rapidly, barely daring to lift himself from the ground and let his son run free._

'_I'm alright, Daddy.' Jamie returned in a small voice._

_Just as Nathan went to heave himself up, a few tiles plummeted from the roof and hit Nathan square in the back._

_He let out a pained breath but shook the injury off, and allowed his son to stand up._

'_Dad, do you want me to go and get Uncle Lucas?' Jamie asked wide eyed._

_Nathan shook his head, 'I'm fine, buddy, let's go and find your Mom.'_

_Father and son searched the garden, and then followed the sound of yelling to the front of the house._

_A crowd had formed around two figures lying on the ground amongst the debris of what was once the sun room._

'_Jamie, stay here.' Nathan ordered as he moved towards the group._

_The crowd parted, allowing Nathan to discover the identity of the two women lying on his driveway._

'_Haley!' he said in an urgent voice, rushing towards his wife._

_Brooke and Lucas glanced up, they were crouched beside Haley and Peyton, fear painted on their faces._

'_Wha-, What happened?' Nathan questioned desperately._

'_They were on the roof when it caved, I don't know why they were up there, they just dropped from the sky!' Brooke's voice wobbled as she spoke. Tears streamed down her face as she stroked the curls away from Peyton's face._

'_The roof?' Lindsey echoed._

'_There's a terrace up there, has anyone called an ambulance?' Nathan asked._

'_They're on the way.' Lucas told his brother as he moved over so that Nathan could be near his wife._

_Nathan nodded and squeezed Haley's hand, tears building in his eyes. _

Nathan shook his head, trying to forget the moment when his heart stopped.

'Hey buddy, you look like hell.' A raspy voice told him.

'Brooke,' he greeted softly, 'You're not looking so great yourself.'

Brooke offered a soft smile, 'I'm avoiding mirrors, and apparently, you are avoiding showers.'

'Hygiene is not my top priority right now.' He told her.

'No, but think of the poor nurses who have to endure it.' Brooke joked.

He shook his head, 'Nothing matters anymore, nothing makes sense without her.'

'I know, Nate.' She said as she rubbed his shoulders.

'So, what gives anyway? I can't remember the last time you left Peyton's room.' Nathan's forehead creased.

Brooke raised her eyebrows, 'Lucas is in with her, and I was banished.'

Nathan shook his head, 'He needs to make his mind up already.'

Brooke seconded that notion.

'Where's Lindsey in all this?' Nathan asked.

'Right where I used to be.' Brooke gave a glassy eyed smile.

That evening, Nathan went back to his empty house; he threw his keys onto the floor and slid down the wood of the door. He held his head in his hands and sobbed freely. His knees curled beneath him and he formed the picture of a broken man.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Lucas was still stood close to the door, as though he was too scared to go any closer to the girl in the bed. He sighed as he took in her sleeping form; she looked so peaceful and angelic. His thoughts wandered to the fateful day of the school shooting, when he'd carried her out of the school; she'd looked just as serene, and he'd felt just as sick.

He didn't know quite what it was about her, she had a strange hold over him. Lindsey should have been his first priority but he'd been neglected her and visiting his ex instead. He couldn't help it; he was pulled there like a moth to the flame.

Lindsey didn't understand it, and Lucas didn't try to explain it, he just needed to be there for her when she woke up. It was as though he blamed himself for not saving her this time. It was his role to catch her when she fell, and this time, when she had literally fallen, he hadn't been there to help her.

He approached the bedside and took her hand, 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Peyt.'

For the next half an hour he said nothing, he just watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest and willed her to open her eyes.

'You're still here.' Brooke said with surprise as she entered the room.

He jumped slightly, 'Yeah.'

'Are you going to check in on Haley?' Brooke asked, 'Nathan's a mess, you should talk to him.'

Lucas stood suddenly, moving towards the door.

'Lucas,' Brooke called after him, 'Don't do this to her, don't pull her in and let her go, if you're with Lindsey, you have to let her go.'

'She's my friend, I'm concerned.' Lucas said sternly.

'Haley's your _best_ friend, but you're not spending much time in her room.' Brooke pointed out.

'She's got Nathan.' Lucas countered angrily.

'And Peyton's got me!' Brooke said glassy eyed.

Lucas set his jaw, 'You know what I mean, Brooke.'

'No, I don't Lucas. You're the one who 'saves' her, but I'm the one who holds her when she cries, looks after her, and knows the girl inside out! Do not belittle me Lucas! The only family I have is lying in that bed over there, I am breaking apart here, but I have to be strong for her! That includes me telling you to sort it out; I will not let you break her heart again!' Brooke raged.

'Brooke,' Lucas began lamely.

'Go and see Haley.' Brooke ordered, 'Then go home and treat your fiancée.'

Lucas hung his head and left the room.

Brooke sighed largely, 'I swear, P. Sawyer, if you don't wake up soon, I will go mad.'

When she returned home that night, Brooke collapsed onto her couch and pulled the throw up to her chin. A tear escaped her eye, closely followed by another. She hugged her knees to her chest and bawled, never before had she felt so alone.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

'Linds?' Lucas called as he entered the house, 'I bought take out!'

His fiancée didn't reply so Lucas continued into the lounge and began to unload the bags. He found Lindsey's favourite CD and put in on in the background.

'Lindsey, I got sushi!' Lucas called out.

Lindsey appeared in the doorway, her face set, 'Where have you been?'

Lucas sighed, 'At the hospital.'

She pouted and folded her arms across her chest, 'I should've guessed.'

'Lindsey, they're my friends, and they're all hurting right now.' Lucas tried to explain, 'I'm the lucky one, as I've got someone amazing to come home to. Brooke and Nathan are returning to empty houses that echo with silence. I've got an incredible girl waiting for me.'

Lindsey pursed her lips, 'I'm sorry.'

'For what?' Lucas asked frowning.

'For being so jealous, I hate the way I am at the moment. I just can't help it, I'm jealous of Peyton, and she's in a coma, it's not right.' Lindsey sighed.

Lucas pulled her into his arms, 'It's a very attractive quality.'

'They'll be okay, won't they?' Lindsey asked, softening slightly.

Lucas took a deep breath, 'They have to be.'

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Lucas awoke early the next morning, and went for a run after failing to fall back to sleep. He passed the usual spots, the River Court and his Mom's café, but somehow his course changed and he found himself at the cemetery.

He slowed to a walk and entered through the gates. It had become a much more familiar place to him over the years.

He approached his uncle's grave and sighed largely, 'Hey, Keith.'

For the first time ever, he took a seat on the earth before the headstone. 'I guess that you're watching all of this chaos unfold. Maybe you're with them, Haley and Peyton. You need to convince them to come back, like you did to me.'

Lucas paused, remembering the last time he'd seen his uncle, when he'd been unconscious after his heart attack. It all suddenly came flooding back to him, why he'd chosen to wake up. Keith had shown him a world without Peyton, and a world without himself, and he had hated both of them.

The world without Peyton was bleak, Brooke was a changed person, and Lucas was lost. It was at that point that Lucas had known that he had to wake up, so that he could look into Peyton's green eyes and tell her that he loved her. She had brought him back.

The world without Lucas seemed to have a similar affect on Peyton, the old woman at his grave proved that she never stopped loving him.

Suddenly he began questioning his relationship with Lindsey, and not for the first time. Lindsey was good for him, and she was a remarkable woman, but she didn't have that hold over him. Peyton had hurt him, back in Los Angeles when he'd proposed, but she still took his breath away. Lindsey was his way of getting over her, and he'd thought he was over her, until Peyton had appeared in Tree Hill again.

She'd waited for him, all that time ago when he had his heart set on Brooke; she'd taken a back seat and kept her silence. Then when she asked him to wait, he'd turned his back. Now he was stuck in this mess.

'What do I do, Keith?'

He knew what Keith would tell him, follow his heart. His Mom and Keith had waited so long for their happily ever after, and when they finally got together, it was cruelly snatched away. If Peyton died, Lucas knew that a part of him would die too and his regrets would soar in numbers.

Lucas wondered if Peyton was with her own spirit guide, he hoped that she was and she was seeing benefits in returning to consciousness.

He hoped that she hadn't lost her hope of happiness.

He hoped that he hadn't taken away her hope of happiness.

Lucas ran his fingers through his hair, and tore his eyes from his uncle's grave. Glancing across the cemetery, he saw two familiar graves, of people who'd died too early. Jimmy Edwards and Anna Sawyer.

Everything was leading him to the same conclusion; follow his heart back to Peyton.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Lucas puffed loudly as he entered Peyton's hospital room.

Brooke gave him a disapproving look, 'Lucas, please.'

'It's her, Brooke.' Lucas said, 'She's the one. I was in denial before, but believe me, Brooke; Peyton's the one.'

'Why should I believe you, Lucas? Only you've used that line on me and Peyton before, but you ended up engaged to another girl.' Brooke questioned, her eyes cold.

'Lindsey was like my way of trying to get over her, but I can't, I can't get over her.' Lucas admitted, 'Haley's right, The Comet, I wrote it about Peyton.'

'You can write ten books about her Lucas, but you need to prove to me that you love her. She might be the inspiration for your best sellers, but that doesn't ensure me that you'll treat her right, fight for her, and stick with her through good and bad. I will not let you back in until I believe it.' Brooke told him straight.

'What do I have to do to prove it to you?' Lucas said, determined.

'This isn't a game, Lucas, there are no challenges to win her. I can't stop you from sweeping her off of her feet but I will never forgive you if you hurt her again.' Brooke warned.

'Neither will I.' Lucas told her.

He sidled up to the bed and brushed Peyton's curls out of her face. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, 'I will wait for you, however long it takes.'

Brooke gave a small nod, showing her approval.

'I need to go and see my best friend now.' Lucas said, 'I've been neglecting her and she deserves better.'

'She does.' Brooke whispered, 'They both do.'

Lucas left the room, leaving the two best friends alone.

'Okay, Peyton, enough with the dramatics, you've won the boy back, you need to wake up, already.' Brooke said in her raspy tone, 'I need you, Peyton, these two love sick Scott brothers are too much for me to handle. Maybe back in High School I could have taken them both, but not anymore.'

Brooke clutched Peyton's hand tighter, 'I can't be without my P. Sawyer, Hoes over Bros, right? Peyton, I need you.'

The brunette began to sob, her strength from the argument with Lucas had disappeared and once again she was the lost, defeated girl, alone in her agony.

'Come back to us.' She requested.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X


	7. Let Me Live

**Hey guys, thanks to everyone reading and reviewing!  
Here's chapter 7, hope you enjoy! I won't be updating for about a week at least, I'm off on holiday with my friends (can't wait for some real sun!) I'm nineteen on Friday eeeekkk! So it's celebrations all the way! This is my present for you guys! Lexie :)**

Haley had listened to Peyton's heartbroken words the previous night, and it had saddened her deeply, but it also gave her hope. Finally, it seemed, Peyton was showing her desire to return to the real world, somewhere Haley was desperate to go back to.

Whilst stuck in this miserable place, Haley had decided to try and make the best of it, which meant either hanging out with Peyton, Jake or Lucas.

Being around Peyton only made her feel guilty though and Jake was going though a whole pile of Nicki drama, so Haley chose to call Lucas.

When he didn't answer his cell, Haley called his house, rather than Lucas; Karen answered. Before she spoke, Haley could tell that Karen was upset, she was sniffing and when she finally said hello, her voice was broken.

'Karen, hi, it's Haley.' She said softly.

'Oh, hello, Haley.' Karen said unenthusiastically, 'I expect you're calling for Lucas, but you know what he's like, every year he's the same; I'm sorry, Haley.'

With that Karen hung up, leaving Haley worried and confused. She racked her brains for something that happened every year at this time. It was only when she pulled her calendar out that it dawned on her, today would have been Keith's birthday.

She sighed, hoping that Lucas wasn't dealing with it in the same way that Peyton had grappled with her mother's death; by running red lights.

Just when she thought that she was seeing a change in Lucas' outlook and seeing a sunnier side to him, it seemed that he'd slipped back to his darkness.

Maybe Peyton was right, perhaps this world only held happiness for the Sawyer family. It was a horrible thought but Haley believed it more and more by the day.

Feeling as though she should take some action rather than sit around and worry, Haley grabbed her bag and headed out.

After searching Lucas' local haunts and hanging about the intersection where Keith had crashed, she almost gave up looking for her friend. Then, on her way back home, she saw a familiar blond running towards her.

'Lucas!' she called out to him.

He glanced up, clearly recognising her, and then turned down a side street, avoiding contact with his friend.

Haley was shocked, she knew that Lucas was having the roughest of days, but she didn't expect him to ignore her so blatantly. She did the only thing she could, and chased after him.

It was only a few blocks down the line that Lucas began to slow down, Haley joined him, grinding to a halt and wheezing heavily.

'Haley, you came after me?' Lucas said surprised.

Haley only nodded, leaning on Lucas as she struggled to catch her breath.

'Haley, sit down, it'll help.' Lucas instructed.

Haley complied and collapsed onto the kerb, she expected Lucas to join her, but he remained standing, his eyes searching the area, as though he was expecting someone else to join them.

'Lucas?' She questioned.

Still he stared into the distance, 'Haley, I've got to go.'

With that he took off running, before Haley had the chance to ask why. A few seconds later a car rolled up beside her, it belonged to Dan Scott.

'Where did he go?' Dan demanded from the driver's seat.

'I really don't know.' Haley admitted.

Dan narrowed his eyes as though questioning her, 'Well, if you see him before I do, you tell him he's a dead man walking.'

Dan then sped off in the direction that Lucas had sprinted. Haley held her head in her hands, more confused than ever. She hoped that Dan was just on a mad one like he usually was, and Lucas hadn't done anything stupid.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

Haley had decided not to chase Lucas any further, she had no idea what was going on with him and Dan, but it didn't look good. She was sure that Lucas would tell her when he was good and ready; the dark angsty Lucas was unlikely to give her any clues at the moment though. She sighed heavily, desperately saddened by the boy Lucas had become in this world, he was carrying so much hate around with him, and Haley couldn't bear to see him with such hate in his heart.

She strolled along the boardwalk, and thought of just how much of an affect one life really had upon the world. This world, this odd, dream world, was absent of Keith Scott, but had Anna Sawyer, a sunny, happy person; and yet her presence seemed to lead to so much unhappiness. Even Peyton had realised this, and Peyton would be the last person to admit that her mother being alive could potentially be a bad thing.

She had to admit that for her, a life with Anna in was not as happy as her life with Keith had been. It was so cruel to think that both of these wonderful people had to die so young. Haley wondered if the world would be so different if Keith had survived the school shooting, would he have such a dramatic influence as Anna did on this world? Haley didn't know, they had all wondered at some point what might have happened if Keith hadn't gone into the school that day. Of course, Lily would have a father, but maybe she wouldn't have a brother; Jimmy had been in a bad place, perhaps he would've shot Lucas for betraying him so deeply. Haley shuddered at the thought.

All Haley knew was that she needed to escape this world. A world in which Nathan didn't know her by name, rather as a notch on her bedpost; Lucas was depressed and sinking further into trouble; Brooke was alone; and Haley had nothing besides Peyton.

When she reached home, Haley dove under her bed; in search of the library books on alternate realms that she'd been quick to dismiss. She was now at breaking point and was eager to try anything, however ridiculous, to escape this torturous place.

She stretched her arm out an grabbed the thick volumes, then heaved them towards her. She was surprised how much dust had gathered under her bed, and made a note to clean under there. She went to sit up, as she did she struck her head on the wrought iron of her bed frame.

She cussed at her own clumsiness and sucked in a breath. Just another reason to leave this place; back in the real world, her bed was made of wood.

Frantically she began to thumb through the pages, looking for anything she could try, she didn't care how ridiculous it may sound, she was even open to the idea of a magic spell.

After half an hour, Haley was at her wit's end, the only suggestion she'd found was to jump through a time portal, but she didn't exactly have one of those handy. She held her head in her hand and rubbed at her temples, trying to ease away the pain she was experiencing.

Haley closed her eyes for a second, just as a means to ease the suffering, if only for a second.

_Haley opened her eyes to an entirely white room, from floor to ceiling, the room was awash with white. She was dressed in a long white dress that seemed to float just above the floorboards._

'_Hey, Momma.' _

_It was the voice of her baby boy, he sounded so sad and helpless._

'_It's me, Jamie.' He confirmed._

_Haley felt tears forming in her eyes._

'_Can she hear me?' Jamie asked uncertainly._

'_I can hear you, Jim-Jam.' She called to him, desperately._

'_She can hear you.' Nathan told his son._

_The tears held back no longer, she was full blown sobbing by now. She was so, so close to her boys, and yet so far. It was a cruel experience._

'_I miss you, Momma, so does Chester.' Jamie told her, 'Daddy says when you wake up we can all be a family again, so I want you to wake up real soon! Daddy saved me Momma, he looked after me when the earthquaked came. We looked for you, Momma, Daddy's real sorry; I can tell, we just ran out of time.'_

'_Okay, Jamie,' Nathan cut in, 'why don't you tell Mom about what you've been doing with Skills?'_

'_Oh yeah!' Jamie said with enthusiasm, 'We're building a mini river court in the garden! That way I can play whenever I want, isn't that cool, Momma?'_

_Haley smiled through the tears, glad that Jamie was being well looked after._

'_You can show her when she wakes up.' Nathan told his son, 'Say goodbye, buddy, Uncle Lucas is waiting for you.'_

'_No!' Haley whispered, not ready to let go of this insight to the real world._

'_Bye, Momma!' Jamie called to her, 'I love you!'_

_At once the sounds began to muffle and the whit room began to fade._

Haley awoke suddenly, and lifted her head from the desk where she'd fallen asleep.

It was bittersweet, she'd been given the reassurance that Nathan and Jamie were okay, but it made her miss them even more than she knew possible.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

With a new found burst of energy, Haley raced to Peyton's house, desperate to share her news with the only person who would understand, and not think that she was crazy.

'Hey, Haley!' Peyton greeted warmly as the brunette padded into her bedroom. 'How are you feeling?'

Haley looked confused for a moment, before realising that Peyton was talking about her disastrous boy toy date with Nathan.

'I'm fine, in fact, I'm better than fine.' Haley told her friend.

Peyton arched her eyebrows, 'Better than fine? Tell me more!'

'Well, okay, better than fine is a little bit much, but hey,' Haley shrugged, 'I had one of those dreams!'

'Where you heard the real world?' Peyton asked.

'Uh-huh!' Haley confirmed, biting on her lower lip nervously.

Peyton's eyes widened, 'What happened in it?'

'Well I was in this completely white room, no windows or anything, just a box really. I was wearing a white dress, and I could just hear the voices!' Haley revealed, excitedly.

Peyton nodded, 'It's the same for me.'

'It is? I'm so glad you said that, I was a little bit afraid it was just a dream but it felt so real!' Haley chattered, 'Anyway, I heard Jamie and Nathan! It was really short but just to hear them was so comforting. It kind of made me miss them more, but I'm so glad I got to hear them! Do you think we're getting closer to going back?'

Peyton swallowed, wishing that Haley wasn't stuck here when she knew that she was desperate to go back. Selfishly, Peyton wanted a little more time with her Mom.

'What happened before your dream?' Peyton quizzed.

'Oh, er, I was reading up on this alternate universe thing.' Haley replied, a little lost as to why Peyton wanted to know.

Peyton seemed to be deep in thought, 'So you were just really tired or bored to tears by the books?'

Haley's frown deepened, 'I'm not sure, I didn't feel especially tired, but all of a sudden, I was in the white room.'

Peyton nodded, 'Sorry, I just wondered why it's taken you so long to have a dream.'

'I don't know,' Haley shrugged, 'but it can only be good news right?'

'Yeah, of course.' Peyton smiled.

'Do you want to grab some ice-cream, we can celebrate!' Haley suggested.

'Sure, let me just grab a jacket.' Peyton said disappearing into her closet, 'Oh, I didn't know I had this!'

'What's that?' Haley asked, heading towards her friend.

'Ellie's jacket! She must have given it to me at some point!' Peyton said joyously, 'Awesome, that's a turn up for the books.'

Haley backed out of the closet, trying to dodge the landmines of clothes, hangers, easels and more.

'Ow!' she gasped as her head came into contact with something hard. She rubbed the back of her head, 'That's the second time today! I'm so clumsy.'

Peyton listened intently, hearing the information she'd been digging for. Haley had hit her head before the dream, adding more evidence to Peyton's theory that the dreams came with the accompaniment of a headache.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

The weekend had been a whirlwind, but soon Monday rolled around and it was back to routine for Haley and Peyton. Haley was busy with tutoring, and Peyton was wrapped up with unfinished homework and Brooke's demanding rehearsal schedule.

After school on Monday, Peyton said goodbye to Haley and headed to cheer practise. The locker room was unusually quiet but Peyton didn't question it, she kind of liked the calm. Once she was changed, she headed to the gym, beating most of the squad there as they were busy applying more make-up or whispering gossip to each other.

At the far end of the gym, the boys were running suicides; she noticed that both Scott brothers had gritty looks of determination on their faces.

'Hey, you!' Brooke squealed, rising from her spot on the bleachers.

Peyton frowned, as Brooke swayed about in a worrying manner, 'Brooke? Are you okay?'

'Me? I'm _fine!_' Brooke giggled, 'I'm better than fine, actually!'

Peyton reached out her hands to steady the brunette as she leapt from the second tier of the stands. Brooke laughed hysterically when she landed awkwardly, a wave of alcohol breath found its way to Peyton's nose.

'Brooke! Are you drunk?' Peyton asked in surprise.

Brooke narrowed her eyes, 'Are _you _drunk?'

Peyton rolled her eyes and put Brooke's arm around her shoulder so that she could take her weight and haul her outside for some fresh air.

'Hey! Where are we going? We need to practise the routine!' Brooke exclaimed, trying to break free, 'Hang on, who are you, again?'

'Brooke!' Peyton scalded.

Brooke narrowed her eyes, 'No you're not Brooke; that's definitely me.'

Peyton sighed, 'Peyton, I'm Peyton.'

This caused Brooke to put both hands to her face in surprise, 'Peyton! Hi! Remember when we used to dance together?'

Peyton nodded in response, wishing that Brooke would move a little faster towards the doors. Brooke on the other hand had other ideas, and broke free of Peyton's grasp to perform a pirouette.

Spinning around in Brooke's condition wasn't the best idea, however, and soon she found herself crashing towards the ground.

Peyton and Nathan instinctively rushed towards her in an attempt to grab her before she hit the floor. Peyton managed to grasp her wrist, and Nathan slung an arm around Brooke's waist. Peyton threw him a look of thanks and together they steadied the intoxicated Brunette.

Nathan sighed, 'You're drinking in the middle of the day now? That's a little extreme even for you, Brooke.'

Brooke scowled and began swatting him away from her, 'Get. Away. From. Me.' She growled.

Nathan held his hands up, 'Don't worry, I'm leaving.'

'And stay away!' Brooke yelled across the gym, tears sparking in her eyes.

Peyton's face held a concerned frown, 'Let's get you home, Brooke.'

Brooke clung to the Blonde, her face buried in her shoulder as she sobbed her heart out. Peyton stroked her hair and whispered to her that everything would be okay. With Brooke still attached to her shoulder, she carefully moved them towards the doors, away from prying eyes.

Brooke had sobered up a little on the journey home, with the roof down on the Comet, Brooke had got a lot of fresh air into her lungs.

'I'm sorry.' She said in a small voice, wiping her smudged make-up with the back of her wrists.

Peyton shrugged, 'It's okay.'

'He's such a jerk.' Brooke said in a deflated way, tears still streaming down her face, 'He's not even sorry, he doesn't realise! Everything's so messed up! I can't believe he'd do this to me, it's a new level of cheating!'

She began to full blown sob again, clearly distraught.

'I thought you and Nathan had broken up?' Peyton questioned lightly.

Brooke looked to the sky in despair, 'We have. We always break up though, it's our thing! Then we make up, and God, the make-up sex is amazing! He always comes to my door, grovelling, and he always brings me presents. This is the longest we've ever been apart for and he doesn't look at me the same anymore, I'm scared it's over!'

Peyton bit her lip, she knew exactly what Brooke was going through, her and Nathan had endured the same relationship once before, but it'd been Peyton who'd finished it.

'I think I love him, and now he just looks at me like I'm dirt! I haven't done anything wrong!' She wept, 'He's always going off with skanks, but this time it's different.'

Peyton's heart fell, she'd been the one to tell Haley to bid for Nathan at the auction, but she had no idea that Brooke was so serious about Nathan. She thought that they were just in a high school relationship that was about the lust not the love.

'Nathan and I are meant to be! He's the star player of the team, and I'm head cheerleader; we're both rich; and we look great as a couple!' Brooke crumpled in her seat, 'I know it looked like all we did was fight, but we didn't, sometimes it was amazing, and I was so in love with him. I was just scared to tell him.

'All this time, he never loved me.' Brooke whispered, 'I'm so stupid! He was always getting off with other girls as parties but I thought it was just because he was drunk, or keeping up appearances, or to make me jealous. I didn't think he ever slept with any of them! I am the world's biggest idiot.'

'No your not, trust me.' Peyton said softly.

Brooke's watery hazel eyes stared straight into Peyton's green orbs, 'It's your friend, the bookish one, she slept with Nathan.'

Peyton sucked in a breath, unsure whether Brooke was going to start hitting her or not.

'Haley, she's,' Peyton began, 'she's really not like that, she couldn't of realised that you guys were so serious, she would never-'

Brooke waved a hand, dismissing Peyton's defence of her friend. 'I know, it wasn't her fault, Nathan's pretty charming when he wants to be. No offence to her, but I doubt that she would've lured him into bed like some other sluts might have.'

Brooke sighed, 'They're not each other's types, it's so random, and they _slept_ together!'

'I don't think it's like that Brooke, Haley told me about it, he couldn't even remember her full name afterwards.' Peyton told her.

Brooke gasped, 'He's something else, isn't he? I should hate him so much, but I can't, I love him.'

'It'll work out Brooke, I promise,' Peyton said softly, 'Brooke Davis letting a boy get to her, that's not the Brooke I thought I knew.'

'I guess you just don't know me very well.'

It was just a fly away comment, but to Peyton, it was like a punch in the gut. There was her best friend, claiming that she didn't know her. Peyton's face fell and she turned her attention back to the road, hoping that she could keep the tears at bay; they were becoming contagious.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X


	8. Pain is so close to pleasure

**This is just something short, but hopefully it'll get the ball rolling again. Writer's block is my new best friend - yay for me!**

Peyton flopped down on her bed, exhausted by the day's events. She couldn't believe what a mess Brooke had been in, and that she was slightly responsible for it. She now realised how silly she'd been to assume that Brooke and Nathan's relationship was nothing more than High School fun, this was another world, for all she knew they could be soul mates.

She sighed and turned to her desk and began to sketch a familiar scene; three teens shooting at a heart. This time though, the teens were Brooke, Haley, and Nathan.

Deep down she knew that Haley didn't belong here, and deeper down, she knew that she too shouldn't be in this world. Unlike Haley though, there was this invisible force holding her here. Just being with her Mom was a miracle that she was extremely reluctant to give up. It may have been a selfish wish, she was prepared to admit that, but it didn't stop her from wanting it all the more.

Ultimately it was a lose-lose situation for Peyton, she knew this, and yet she was in denial about it. If she pretended that this alternate world wasn't that bad, perhaps she could cling onto her dream for a little longer.

Her mind wandered to her life back in the real world. In a world where she was one step away from being an orphan, the boy she loved was happily engaged, and her label was still in the bambi stage. She held her head in her hands and wondered just why this had happened to her, did she really have to choose between two worlds of imperfection?

As she mulled the issue over and thought of the pros and cons of both worlds, she only grew more confused. Although in this alternate reality it seemed that everyone was unhappy, there really was no telling that it would stay this way if she chose not to go back. After all, no one can say what tomorrow will bring.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

'_Hey, Blondie.'_

_Peyton sucked in a breath, she felt goose bumps appear on her arms and the hairs on the back of her neck go up. It was Lucas._

'_So I bought you another Rootbeer float.'_

_She grinned from ear to ear at the thought, and her heart swelled. _

'_Peyton, I need you to wake up so that I can look into those pretty green eyes of yours. I need to look into them and tell you that I love you.'_

_She could hear Non-Believer by La Rocca playing in the background. _

'_I'll be right here when you wake up. I'll wait for as long as it takes.'_

_She felt tears forming in her eyes, suddenly in that moment, everything was coming together and making sense. It wasn't just that Lucas was there, it was that he was there with her feel better cure and the song that her healed them both after his heart attack. The fact that he knew the exact song to play spoke volumes to her. No one else she knew would know to choose it. It was him; always him._

For the first time since she'd begun to have the dreams, she awoke feeling happy. As she rolled the word around her mind, she realised that in this alternate world it hadn't been happiness she'd been experiencing, not true happiness. Of course having her Mom alive was an incredible feeling but mixed with all of the difficult goings on, it was tainted.

She suddenly felt inspired and energised, and it was all because of that boy. At that moment in time the most important thing in the world was getting hold of that record, something she knew she didn't possess in this realm.

It was a warm day in Tree Hill and Peyton really didn't see the need in driving to the record store. Instead in an unusual fashion, she walked to the town centre. It seemed that one thing at least hadn't changed in this world; and that was Max's record store. Although the shop was the same, Peyton and Max's relationship wasn't. He offered a nod as she walked in the door but nothing more. Peyton deflated a little but the thought of her dream made her smile again.

She flicked through the vinyls listed under L but her record was missing. After a second search she grew more frantic, desperate for her beloved album to be there.

'Are you alright there?' Max asked, apparently concerned by her behaviour.

'La Rocca.' She answered, making little sense, 'Sorry I need La Rocca's The Truth, on vinyl.'

Max's forehead creased, 'Sorry, I've never head of it.'

Peyton faltered for a second, and then reality dawned on her. She was back in 2004. The record hadn't even been recorded, let alone released. There was no way that she was getting her hands on that record.

'Can I help you with something else?' He asked.

Peyton looked around wildly before her eyes settled on Max who seemed to be worried by her state, 'No, actually. I don't think that music can help me right now.'

In a trance like state she walked from the store. Her mind had been so fixed on the idea of hearing that song that she had no idea what to do when she learned it was unobtainable.

She fled the shop without another word to Max. She didn't think it would matter though, to him she was just a stranger; an angry kid searching for a song yet to be released. When she left she didn't head towards home, instead she began in the other direction with no idea in her mind of where she was going.

As she walked, she went over the lyrics in her head, and one part stuck out for her; _'I believe the faithful fell, didn't know their way back, so far away from home, but brother we're not alone. And I promise to climb back up here to you, waiting for this message to come through.' _It spoke volumes to her. Of course many songs meant something to her, and it was often the case that she connected the lyrics to her own life. This was different though, this was her and Lucas.

She didn't know her way back, or at least she didn't think she did. It suddenly dawned on her that she did want to go back, back home. This was not her home, no matter how great an illusion it gave of being that, it was in fact an alien planet for her. As for 'climbing back up there' it was a promise that Peyton hoped that she could keep with herself. And of course there was a message that she wanted to get back to Lucas; 'she loved him too.'

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

When Peyton finally returned home, most of the lights were out and there was a strange feeling lingering around the house. She shivered as she let herself into the darkened hallway wondering what could have happened. Instantly she knew that something was going on. The porch light was always left on when someone was out and Anna had a habit of switching on every light of every room she entered, frustrating Larry no end. The darkness and ill feeling reminded Peyton of her life in the real world, in the days where she would return home to find her Dad sat in the shadows staring aimlessly into a life without his beloved wife.

There were voices in the kitchen, but Peyton barely dared to enter. No news was good news. She just wanted to go the bed and wake up in yesterday, a place with no worries. She must have made a noise though because the door flung open and she was blinded by the glare of the bright kitchen bulb.

'Where have you been?' Larry seemed to growl at her.

She recoiled, not because of him scolding, but because it confirmed her thoughts. He seemed to notice her reaction though and pulled her forwards into a one armed embrace.

'What's happened?' She demanded her voice weak and small.

He ushered her in and she almost cried out in relief to see Anna sat at the breakfast table. She would have been relieved, were it not for the tear-stained cheeks and the shaking hands of her mother.

'Hey, Sweets.' Anna whispered, her voice soft. She held her hand out in a welcome, and Peyton took up the offer. She pulled a chair close to her Mom's and sank into it.

Larry didn't follow, instead he propped himself against the near wall and heaved a sigh like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Anna took Peyton's hand and squeezed it lightly. She tried to smile but Peyton could see that it was forced, it never quite reached her eyes.

'Please, what's going on?' Peyton requested in the awkward voice that didn't belong to her.

Anna took a shaky breath as though preparing to explain but it was a sob that escaped rather than words. Larry was instantly at her side, massaging her shoulders gently.

'It's your Mom.' Larry offered, 'She has cancer.'

Peyton shook her head, 'Ellie, again?'

'Your Mom. Not her.' Larry said sharply, 'Your Mom.'

Peyton bowed her head and felt the tears stinging in her eyes. Anna still had a grip on her hand so she offered a squeeze.

'Peyton.' Anna called to her, 'Hon, it's okay.'

Her voice broke on the word 'okay', ironically showing just how far from the truth that was.

'This isn't supposed to happen.' Peyton shuddered, 'Everything was so normal, and nice.'

She sounded like a little girl, she knew that, but she felt like one. She felt like she was nine years old again, having her whole world shaken to the core. She kept her eyes trained on the tabletop, not daring to face her parents, or the truth.

'Look, this doesn't have to be scary.' Anna tried to assure her daughter, 'We'll all be there for one another, we did with Ellie didn't we? It'll be just like that.'

Peyton swallowed thickly, knowing exactly how Ellie's story would end. In the back of her mind she also knew how Anna's story would finish as well. As soon as she'd realised that Keith had taken her Mom's place, Peyton had known that in due course her Mom would most likely take Keith's. She just hadn't anticipated on all of the heartache starting so soon. It wasn't fair, she had only just got her Mom back, and now it felt as though she was being ripped away again.

'Honey,' Anna pushed, 'I'm really gonna need you to help me out, your Dad too. I need you to not get beaten down by this, okay? I need you to be in high-spirits because we both know how much your Dad sucks at that. I need you to be the sunshine.'

Peyton couldn't hold back the tears any longer. Anna was asking her to do the near impossible, especially as she had a feeling of just how everything would end up. She lifted her gaze and met Anna's red-rimmed eyes.

They reached for each other and hugged tighter than they could ever remember doing before, as though by clinging to the other, neither would have to leave.

'We'll be okay, won't we Sweets?' Anna said in half laugh, 'Your Dad on the other hand, he's going to get a lot of wrinkles.'

Larry who would usually give a sharp remark back just pressed a kiss to his wife's head. Anna smiled softly at the show of affection.

Anna, as ever was trying to keep optimistic, Peyton wasn't sure if it was just for the sake of herself and her Dad though. She hoped that underneath the sunny exterior, Anna wasn't fighting her demons alone. Peyton had been there before and it was far from a nice place to be.

The doorbell shook her from her thoughts and brought reality back with a bang. The world didn't stop for one person's tragedy, it kept spinning madly on.

'Go and answer that, would you, Hon?' Anna requested, rising to fix her make up.

Peyton obliged, wondered vaguely who was calling.

She opened the door, surprised to see Haley and Jake stood there expectantly.

'Hey, girly.' Haley greeted, 'Grudge match and you have the deciding vote.'

'What are you talking about?' Peyton frowned, wondering how anyone could possibly be so chirpy.

'What movie do you wanna watch?' Jake asked, 'Haley and I have been helpful enough to include role play in your decision.'

'Lame, I know, but it took us the whole walk here to perfect it.' Haley explained to a perplexed Peyton.

'Listen, guys, I know you want to…perform a skit or something but this is a bad time.' Peyton sighed, wishing that Happy and Dopey hadn't called to ambush her.

Jake's shoulders slumped, 'Yeah, your Mom said it wasn't. That's why we're here.'

'My Mom called you?' Peyton blurted, outraged.

Haley nodded, 'She said that you'd need cheering up. What's going on?'

'Erm, go to my room, I'll explain in a minute.' Peyton mumbled before disappearing to the kitchen.

Jake and Haley shared a bemused look but followed their instructions.

Peyton meanwhile approached the kitchen to confront her parents but she faltered in the doorway. Her parents were locked in an embrace, literally holding on for dear life. Peyton looked to the floor suddenly unsure of what exactly she was planning to say, how could she throw angry words at two people she adored when their whole worlds were crumbling down.

'Sweetie!' Anna noticed her daughter, 'What's the matter, do you want me to fix you some snacks?'

'No!' Larry and Peyton cried together.

Anna's eyes softened, 'How lucky I am, you crazy overprotective sweethearts!'

'Mom, why did you invite them round? Why now, in the middle of, of this?' Peyton asked, in the least accusing voice as she could muster.

Anna smiled and stroked her daughter's cheek, 'because we have a lot of things to go over, very boring things. I'm sure that you have lots of things to mull over and maybe some choice words. Haley and Jake have never let you down and they'll probably be better with all of the...what ifs.'

Both women's eyes welled up, Peyton didn't quite know how to reply.

'There's chips in the cupboard.' Anna offered to break the silence.

When Peyton got to her room, she found her two friends eagerly waiting perched on the edge of the bed in what looked to be a very uncomfortable position.

'Hey,' Haley stepped to her feet.

Peyton gave a half smile, 'Hey.'

Haley seemed to have a sixth sense for when someone needed a hug, and instantly wrapped her arms around her friend, 'What's going on?'

The blonde sighed and went to join the pair on the bed, 'Well, um, my Mom - Anna by the way not Ellie - she, um, has cancer.'

Peyton couldn't face her friends, she knew if she did she'd cry.

'Geez, Peyton, I'm sorry.' Jake shook his head and rubbed her shoulder.

Haley's eyes welled up, knowing exactly how this changed Peyton's situation, 'Is it, I mean, do you think…?'

'It makes sense.' Peyton nodded, knowing that Haley was suggesting that the cancer may be the thing to take Anna's life, 'I would love to think it's just a test, but knowing what we do, it could be it.'

'What are you two going on about?' Jake questioned, completely perplexed.

Haley shook her head dismissing the issue, 'Nothing.'

He didn't look convinced, but let it slide, 'Do you want to talk about it, Peyt?'

She considered his question and realised that she'd thought about the loss of her mother constantly over the years and going over it wouldn't change a thing.

'No, I'd much prefer to see your crazy role plays.' She laughed.

Needless to say that Jake and Haley's acting was nothing short of hilarious, especially seeing as how uncomfortable Jake was in all of the romantic scenes he was forced to do. He would have put an end to the torture after the first scene but it made Peyton laugh so hard that he endured the torment just to take her pain away for a little while.

They performed parts from Star Wars ("I am your father"), Titanic ("I'll never let go"), Dirty Dancing ("Nobody puts Baby in a corner"), Forrest Gump ("Run, Forrest, Run!"), Jerry Maguire ("You had me at hello"), The Way We Were (Your girl is lovely, Hubbell), It's a Wonderful Life ("Every time a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings.") and Apollo Thirteen ("Houston, we have a problem").

'You guys are terrible!' Peyton managed to say between fits of laughter.

'Yeah, we know!' Haley agreed, 'Oh and we actually only have Dirty Dancing and The Matrix with us.

Peyton frowned at her friends' warped logic, 'You didn't even do the Matrix!'

'Haley's never seen it.' Jake sighed, 'Go figure.'

They all laughed together and for a brief moment forgot about the tragedy unfolding in their lives.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

That night as she lay in bed, Peyton went over the day's events. She had been so elated and then so destroyed, all in a matter of hours.

On the one hand she had a boy waiting for her, the boy that she was in love with, and finally he had committed to her. He was there in her old life, ready to make all of her dreams come true. She should really be jumping at the chance to go back.

Then there was the dream world she found herself in, although it was quickly becoming a world of nightmares for her. There was just one thing she was hanging onto; her Mom. Even that was being taken away from her though, as if it was a sign for her to go back to her "real" life.

As much as she wanted to stay with her Mom for as long as possible, she didn't think that she'd be able to handle the heartbreak of losing her again in this world. She had already lost two mothers and didn't want to experience the crushing feeling yet another time. Ultimately that meant that she was almost ready to return home.

She sighed in frustration before letting sleep take over her, secretly hoping that her dreams may give her the answers she needed.

**I have a rough idea of what I want to do for this story, but I'd love some other ideas too. As I said on my profile page I might not use the ideas, but they may inspire me, so if you have any thoughts feel free to let me know! Don't be shy, you may just make the story better!**

**Thank you, Lexie :)**


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